Somerset schools have been taking part in an initiative to promote oral health among young children by encouraging regular tooth brushing in primary schools and nurseries. The Big Brush Club is funded by the NHS and provided by At Home Dental.
The initiative supports daily in-class tooth brushing for children aged 3-5 in targeted settings as part of a wider two-year campaign spanning the south west. In Somerset over 7700 children are participating in the supervised toothbrushing programme, part of over 70,000 across the wider region.
Tooth decay affects one in four young children but is a preventable disease that can be drastically reduced by regular tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste. Supervised tooth brushing enables young children in primary schools and nurseries to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste each day they attend. It takes just five minutes a day and is well evidenced to significantly reduce rates of tooth decay in children. Vital support in helping to develop healthy dental habits from an early age.
The supervised tooth brushing programme is targeted to reach children in the most deprived areas of Somerset, and forms part of provider ‘At Home Dental’s’ goal of improving dental access for all, regardless of circumstance. Children and young people living in the most deprived communities are nearly three and a half times more likely to have decay-related tooth extractions in hospital, compared to those living in more affluent areas. The impact is significant on children and their families with days off school, anxiety and the risks of going under general anaesthetic. Tooth extractions in children also cost the NHS millions of pounds every year.
Campaign mascot, ‘Bob the Badger’ and team visited St Peter’s First School in Wilton earlier this month, coinciding with National Smile Month. A spokesperson for At Home Dental dental said “Both staff and children are really engaged in the programme. They are an outstanding example of how effectively the programme can be run and are successful at engaging the parents with support”.
As well as brushing in practice the students had great fun taking part in the national NHS singing and colouring competition; designed to work alongside the initiative to encourage as much involvement, inclusion and awareness as possible.
Pictured are the reception class at St Peter’s Primary School who have now been successfully brushing for well over a year (they began in March 2024). Head Teacher Mrs Maida White said
“Supervised toothbrushing has been going really well in our classroom. The children have responded positively, and it has quickly become a part of our daily routine……It also ensures that all children, regardless of their home circumstances, have at least one opportunity each day to brush their teeth properly. It is simple but effective way to promote overall health and wellbeing, and we’ve seen the benefits first-hand in our school”.
The initiative is running across Somerset with 128 settings taking part, 7637 pupils participating, 109 Oral Health Education lessons delivered and 327 staff trained as oral health champions.
More information and guidance can be found here
