The British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) welcomes today’s announcement by Health Minister Stephen Kinnock that the government plans a national supervised toothbrushing programme for children aged 3-5 years in early years settings, including nurseries and primary schools, in the most deprived areas in England.
The programme, which will be delivered by teachers, is supported by Colgate-Palmolive’s donation of 23 million free toothbrushes, toothpastes and educational materials for ongoing home care, to 600,000 young children over the next five years.
An investment of £11 million in local authorities across England will be available to schools and nurseries that sign up.
BSDHT President Rhiannon Jones said: “I was delighted to attend a meeting earlier this week to hear details of the plan and I very much look forward to seeing the results of this early preventive programme to improve the oral health of this group of children.
“BSDHT’s First Smiles annual campaign has been gaining in momentum across the UK year-on-year. BSDHT dental hygienist and therapist members continue to give freely of their time and expertise and visit nursery and primary schools to teach children the importance of toothbrushing, healthy diets and regular visits to the dentist. Our continued thanks to Oral-B for their support for the First Smiles campaign.
“At the forefront of the prevention of dental diseases, BSDHT’s dental hygienist and therapist members stand ready to become involved in this initiative and engage with the education process in teaching the teachers.”
BSDHT has been given access to a system that enable us to post questions and comments directly to the Department of Health and Social Care. Please email President@bsdht.org.uk with any questions you would like her to put forward.
