The focus of the programme, which will be rolled out in early years settings and schools, with funding available from April, is to help protect children from the most deprived areas in England from tooth decay.
A total of £11 million has been invested in the programme by the Government which will go to local authorities to deploy supervised toothbrushing in nurseries and schools that voluntarily sign up. Local authorities will work to identify settings in ‘target areas’ and encourage them to enrol.
The scheme, a Labour manifesto commitment, is being rolled out by the Department of Health & Social Care in collaboration with the Department for Education. The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities has also published a toolkit to support commissioners and providers of local toothbrushing schemes
Colgate is supporting the programme, which forms part of the Government’s Plan for Change, by donating more than 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes over the next five years, along with educational resources for use at home. According to the Government, the resources will ‘reach’ up to 600,000 children each year and provide families with support to ensure positive behaviours continue at home and over the school holidays.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said, ‘It is shocking that a third of five-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay - something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health.
‘It’s why we’re delivering supervised toothbrushing to young children and families who are most in need of support as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation.
‘On top of this, we will reform the dental contract to get dentists providing more NHS work as we fundamentally reform the sector through our Plan for Change so it is there for patients once again.’
While the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) welcomed the scheme, it said to make ‘meaningful change, the Government must get serious about ending child poverty once and for all’, urging for the two-child benefit cap to be lifted.
'Children’s oral health in the UK is in crisis, and for too long, it’s been the silent epidemic no one talks about.'
June O’Sullivan, chief executive of London Early Years Foundation, said they have seen first-hand how daily brushing in nurseries ‘transforms children’s oral health and wellbeing’.
‘Children’s oral health in the UK is in crisis, and for too long, it’s been the silent epidemic no one talks about. Tooth decay doesn’t just cause pain – it disrupts sleep, eating, learning, and the ability to speak clearly, which is crucial for a child's development and confidence. Unfortunately, the impact is felt most by disadvantaged children which is why this Government-backed supervised toothbrushing programme is very much welcomed.
‘This programme will help educate parents on the importance of oral health and a healthy diet, ensuring good habits are built at home as well as in nursery.’
Professor Zoe Marshman, professor in dental public health at the University of Sheffield, who is involved in the BRUSH project to understand how best to implement and evaluate toothbrushing programmes in nurseries and schools, said of the rollout of the Government's programme, 'Supervised toothbrushing in an early years setting is an effective way to reduce inequalities in tooth decay and our research, through the BRUSH project, has shown how programmes can be successfully implemented.
'Today's announcement addresses the barriers our research has identified by providing additional funding for local authorities who have the local intelligence to work with the early years workforce to maximise the benefits of supervised toothbrushing for the hundreds of thousands of children who need it the most.
'It demonstrates the Government is "putting their money where their mouth is" to improve children's oral health given the huge impact it has on the daily lives of children across England.'
- The BRUSH research toolkit for early years settings to support implementation of supervised toothbrushing programmes is available here
