Dental Play Box, which has been running successfully for a number of years in Scotland, where it is sponsored by Boots the chemist, has now launched in the north-west of England.
The scheme involves a visit from a play facilitator and settings are able to borrow a box of resources, which includes role play uniforms such as a dentist and dental nurse, hand puppets, toothbrushes, games, stories and a teachers' pack. Children can explore the contents afterwards themselves and talk about their experiences.
Sue McCue, a former nursery teacher, who is a member of the team visiting nurseries and childminders as part of the free scheme, said, 'The main goal of the sessions is exploring through play the importance of looking after your teeth from an early age, and visiting the dentist. We don't go in and preach - it's play-oriented.'
She runs separate sessions for toddlers and pre-school children. Areas covered in the north-west include Cheshire, Macclesfield, Derbyshire and Manchester.
She added, 'The north-west has particularly bad statistics with regard to dental care. Many children go through the unnecessary pain of having milk teeth removed. There's often an assumption that children do not need to visit the dentist until they start school.'
She said the long-term plan was to expand the Dental Play Box scheme into other parts of the country. 'We hope that we can reach as many places as we can.'
Fazy Ahmed, a pre-school unit leader at Kids Allowed nursery in Cheadle, which Ms McCue visited last week, said, 'The visit helped the children who were really scared about the dentist. They learned extra vocabulary, for example what cavities are. The children really enjoyed playing with the props - there are mirrors, a face mask and little x-rays - and some of them told their parents afterwards all about what happens at the dentist.'
Further information
To arrange a visit contact the Dental Play Box team at enquiries@actionforsickchildren.org or phone 01663 763 004.
