The Labour Party has proposed a supervised toothbrushing scheme to target three, four and five-year-olds in the 20 per cent most deprived areas in England, which is warmly received by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD).
Based on the CORE20 part of the CORE20PLUS5 CYP initiative, the costed and funded proposal would see children attending schools and nurseries in areas of socioeconomic deprivation receiving supervised toothbrushing and a supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home.
BSPD has been calling for supervised toothbrushing in England for children for over ten years. The society welcomes this support for families in a cost of living crisis. Evidence from Scotland shows that reaching children as early as possible with supervised toothbrushing schemes gives them a better oral health start to life and is more cost-effective in the long term for the NHS. Additional investments have also been announced, increasing the number of children who should be able to see an NHS dentist.
Professor Claire Stevens CBE, BSPD spokesperson, said, “This is a serious plan to grip both the immediate crisis and set NHS dentistry on the path to recovery in the long-term. BSPD believes that every child should have a ‘dental home’ – an ongoing and preventively focused relationship with an NHS dentist. However, with children’s dental services in crisis we urgently need to put a blanket of support around the most vulnerable children in our society. We must recognise that, through no fault of their own, some children need greater help to get the oral health start in life that every child deserves.
“We therefore welcome these measures as we know we need urgent action to address the persistent and immoral inequalities we see in children’s oral health. Intervening with a targeted supervised toothbrushing scheme is proven to deliver beneficial oral health outcomes that also pay for themselves severalfold in the future.”
Professor Paula Waterhouse, BSPD president, said, “Children and young people from lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to experience dental decay and more likely to report that their poor oral health impacts on their daily lives. These children can suffer pain, lose sleep and miss days at school. Dental disease is almost always preventable. To see that this plan is costed and can be funded is a relief. This approach, that is based on targeting the most deprived 20 per cent of children, is a step towards an oral health approach that is equitable - not just equal.”
Claire added, “I’ll never forget visiting an area of high deprivation and a five year old boy holding up a toothbrush at me – and asking me what it was. Another child told me that his family only had one shared toothbrush. We have teenagers who have never been able to access an NHS dentist. This is not OK. I don’t want to hear stories like these again. Some children, through no fault of their own, are not getting the oral health start that would set them up for life. This targeted approach will make a big difference and because the children get to take their toothbrushes and toothpaste home, this is about partnering with parents to ensure every child has a smile for life.”