Greater Manchester schools and nurseries set to improve dental care

Utilising a £1.5 mil grant from the health and care devolution transformation fund, the plan is to increase access to dental care for children under the age of five and expand supervised tooth brushing in early-years settings.

The investment aims to reduce both the number of children aged five and under affected by tooth decay and those needing a general anaesthetic to have their teeth taken out due to decay.

Nearly all the cash will be spent on prevention work such as supervised tooth brushing programmes; toothbrush and toothpaste packs will be distributed via health visitors and dental practices alongside increased prevention messages.

The announcement is being made by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, the body overseeing the devolution of the £6bn health and care budget in the city region.

Jon Rouse, the region’s chief health officer, called this, “A significant step to children starting well and being school-ready.”

The wide-ranging three-year programme aims to: