A South Cumbria dental practice’s plans to help turn around the decline in children’s dental health has won the backing of Westmorland and Furness MP Tim Farron.
Crossbank Dental Care in Kendal have already won plaudits for their positive achievements in green dentistry, sustainability, and social and community responsibility, from reducing surgery waste and emissions, to planting trees in partnership with the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The team, headed by husband and wife Principal Dentist Neil Cooper and Director Bex Cooper, have built a reputation for life-enhancing restorative procedures, like dental implants. Now they are targeting their experience to try and reduce issues like decay and tooth loss, the ‘roots’ of which usually start in childhood.
“Rising every year, tooth decay and extractions are now the most common reason for hospital admission in children,” says Bex. “This is very concerning, but perhaps not surprising, when NHS statistics show children’s access to NHS dental care is just 50.4% nationally, and the dental workforce predicted to shrink 35% by 2030. As a rural county, Cumbria’s challenges are even worse, with a 25% dentist vacancy rate, and children’s NHS dental access at just 45.8%.
“It’s unfair to condemn our children to debilitating disease due to lack of access to oral hygiene education and treatment. Crossbank Dental Care has a whole team dedicated to restoring people’s teeth, smiles and confidence, which is very rewarding- but how much better to prevent these issues in the first place?”
Putting their money where their mouth is- literally- Crossbank Dental Care have invested in specialised ‘Oral Health Educator Certification’ for their dental nurses. Determined to help children stay happy, not gappy, their ‘Tooth Fairy’ community outreach project will visit playgroups, nurseries, and primary schools to provide accessible education on early years’ oral health, preventative care, and early intervention. The first to don the Tooth Fairy outfit is Dental Nurse Kelly Hunter.
“With local authority cuts contributing to a 22% decrease in community health education funding, it’s time for dental teams to use our experience and knowledge to help stop the rot,” says Bex. “It was great to meet with Tim Farron, and see him taking our concerns just as seriously.”
As well as praising Crossbank Dental Care’s initiative and the ‘Tooth Fairy’ project, Mr Farron also confirmed: “Children’s oral health is declining quickly, especially in deprived areas, and change is urgently needed. To address this issue at a national scale, Government action is needed.”
“Since our meeting, Mr Farron has already confirmed he has written to the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to urge distribution of oral health information to children and young parents, which is fantastic support,” says Bex. “We want to open up empathetic, supportive dialogue with everyone: children, parents, schools and communities. If any parents or educators want to talk to us about a visit from the Tooth Fairy, or any aspect of dental care, we’d love to chat, just give us a call!”
