Supervised Tooth Brushing (ages 3-5)
Tuesday 13th February 2024
A Supervised Toothbrushing scheme is coming to Wiltshire as part of a NHS England commissioned rollout across the South West, which will be delivered by the provider At Home Dental.
Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission for young children, and this is largely preventable. In 2022, 60,000 school days were missed due to tooth extractions and 1 in 5 children aged 3-5 in England experienced tooth decay. Tooth decay in children most often leads to fillings, replacement fillings, root canal work, extractions and a lifetime of dental problems.
The Supervised Toothbrushing scheme helps tackle this problem by promoting oral health in educational settings and equipping teaching staff to carry out daily toothbrushing sessions from within the classroom.
The programme is designed to be:
- Simple – taking no more than two to five minutes a day, with all kit provided
- Effective – giving children the vital protection of fluoride at a crucial age
- Potentially life-changing – saving children from a lifetime of dental problems.
Every participating school will receive all the support, training and stock needed from At Home Dental. This includes racks to store the toothbrushes (they are wall mountable if needed), a new toothbrush for each child every term, toothpaste and a pack for children to take home with brush and toothpaste.
In the South West, the scheme is initially rolling out for schools within IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) 1-6 for children aged 3 to 5 years. If a school has a preschool/nursery, they will offer to them and the Reception class. If a school does not have a preschool or nursery, they will offer to Reception and Year 1.
Eligible schools will soon be contacted by At Home Dental’s Big Brush Club and we would encourage you to please support the scheme at your school and encourage parental consent for eligible children to take part.
View more information about the scheme on the Big Brush Club website and social media Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
