Community Dental Services CIC (CDS) has helped children across West Berkshire develop healthy oral health habits through a new pilot initiative delivered in partnership with West Berkshire Council and Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) providers.
The programme ran at selected HAF settings this summer, providing oral health education and free toothbrushing packs to help children and families build healthy habits at home. CDS’s Oral Health Improvement team delivered interactive sessions on effective toothbrushing and healthy food and drink choices.
Jennifer Baitup, Strategic Oral Health Lead for CDS, said: “Tooth decay remains a major public health issue and the leading cause of child hospital admissions in England, despite being largely preventable. Through our partnership with West Berkshire Council, we’re helping children and families build lifelong healthy habits through fun, practical oral health education.”
Councillor Patrick Clark, West Berkshire Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, who recently joined the CDS Team at a Funtastic Kids West Berks HAF session at St Joseph’s Primary School, where children took part in oral health activities, said: “These sessions are a great introduction to healthy habits and our supervised toothbrushing programme is helping to reinforce those messages throughout the year. Together, they’re giving more children across West Berkshire the best possible start when it comes to their oral health.”
The programme reflects CDS’s ongoing commitment to preventive care and community-based oral health improvement, helping to ensure children have the knowledge, skills and support needed to maintain healthy smiles for life.
