Promoting oral health

Smile4Life sees Lancashire County Council join forces with NHS Central Lancashire, NHS North Lancashire and NHS East Lancashire, to combat the region’s poor record on tooth decay in children by educating pre-school children about the importance of looking after their teeth.

The programme involves members of the local NHS dental team visiting pre-schools across the county to provide advice to young children and their carers on tooth brushing, the importance of regular visits to the dentists, and encouraging a healthier diet.

After the official launch at the Woodland’s Centre in Chorley, Lord Howe paid a visit to Ribbleton Children’s Centre in Preston where he met with staff and children to see first hand how members of the local NHS dental team and nursery teachers work together to encourage better oral health in children.  He commented, ‘The NHS White Paper set out our commitment to improving the oral health of children and the Smile4Life programme is an excellent example of how the NHS can achieve this. Even though there have been improvements in children’s oral health, there is more that can and should be done to tackle persistent inequalities, especially in Lancashire, which suffers from some of the highest levels of children’s tooth decay in the country.