{"id":23434,"date":"2025-03-07T00:29:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T01:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23434"},"modified":"2025-03-07T02:23:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T02:23:23","slug":"more-schools-to-be-asked-to-supervise-toothbrushing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23434","title":{"rendered":"More schools to be asked to supervise toothbrushing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">54 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Smitha Mundasad<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Health reporter, BBC News<!-- --><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 EXUng\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/aaa05d50-faac-11ef-8c03-7dfdbeeb2526.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Getty Images Young children sat around a table brushing teeth. Image focuses on young girl with curly grown hair and striped peach tshirt, smiling as she brushes her teeth. There are pastel coloured plastic beakers on a wooden table and two young boys in the background who are also brushing their teeth\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">School and nursery staff in the most deprived areas of England will be asked to supervise young children while they brush their teeth, under a national toothbrushing programme.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Schemes are already running in some schools &#8211; but now dedicated central funding will reach the poorest areas where children are most at risk of tooth decay, the government says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dental experts said the move would &#8220;save children from pain and the NHS a fortune&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union said caution was needed to avoid shifting &#8220;what is ultimately a parental responsibility on to the burden on schools&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">National supervised toothbrushing programmes have been running in Scotland since 2006 and Wales since 2009.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And in Northern Ireland, some nursery staff have been supervising toothbrushing since 2016, in a funded programme targeting the poorest 20% of areas.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Teachers and other staff demonstrate and help, without directly brushing the children&#8217;s teeth, at some point during the school day. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">Tooth decay<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/evidence.nihr.ac.uk\/alert\/how-to-implement-toothbrushing-programmes-to-tackle-tooth-decay-in-children\/\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">The idea<!-- --><\/a>, according to experts, is not to replace toothbrushing at home but to help build skills, good habits and confidence. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">But in England, <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41415-024-7782-0\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">provision is patchy<!-- --><\/a>, partly because of logistical problems but also a lack of staff and dedicated funding.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-children-2022\/national-dental-epidemiology-programme-ndep-for-england-oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-children-2022\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">About one out of every four<!-- --><\/a> five-year-olds in England has had tooth decay &#8211; and in poorer areas, it is one in three.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Tooth decay is the most common reason five-to-nine-year-olds in England are admitted to hospital. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">And in many areas, access to an NHS dentist has <!-- --><a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-66095984\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">become increasingly difficult<!-- --><\/a>.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Lifelong impact&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said focusing on prevention would help give children the best start in life.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It is shocking that a third of five-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay &#8211; something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s why we&#8217;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.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The government says it is also working to reform the dental contract, so dentists take on more NHS work. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">From April, local authorities will be given \u00a311m funding and asked to identify schools and nurseries most in need. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The aim is to reach about 600,000 three-to-five-year-olds a year. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">For every \u00a31 spent on the scheme, \u00a33 in treatment costs will be avoided \u2013 adding up to more than \u00a334m over the next five years, the government says.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Some children will use the 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes donated by Colgate to the programme.  <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The British Dental Association welcomed the move but said more needed to be done to tackle food marketing and labelling.  <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Eddie Crouch, who chairs the association, said: &#8220;Supervised toothbrushing is tried and tested policy that will save children from pain and our NHS a fortune.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;The only concern is why it&#8217;s taken a century to get here.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;Parental responsibility&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Paul Whiteman, of the NAHT, agreed there was a crisis in children&#8217;s dental health and the government was right to prioritise it.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;However, we cannot keep loading increasing expectations on schools,&#8221; he said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Nor can we keep looking to schools to fix all of society&#8217;s ills. <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Most people would see toothbrushing as a basic part of parenting and we must be careful not to shift what is ultimately a parental responsibility on to the shoulders of schools.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Mr Whiteman urged the government to find other ways to support parents and focus on &#8220;rebuilding NHS dentistry&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Dr Katie Dalrymple, lecturer in nutritional sciences, at King&#8217;s College London, said the initiative would have a positive impact &#8211; but to truly protect children, the focus must be on reducing exposure to high-sugar foods and drinks.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The government is also expanding water fluoridation across north-east England, following a public consultation. <!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">How to brush young children&#8217;s teeth<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<ul class=\"sc-5c9c90b0-0 ggNdZQ\">\n<li class=\"sc-8d73edac-0 ezcCTE\">You can start brushing as soon as teeth come through<!-- --><\/li>\n<li class=\"sc-8d73edac-0 ezcCTE\">Use fluoride toothpaste &#8211; a pea-sized amount for three-to-six-year-olds<!-- --><\/li>\n<li class=\"sc-8d73edac-0 ezcCTE\">Making a game of it or brushing your teeth at the same time can help <!-- --><\/li>\n<li class=\"sc-8d73edac-0 ezcCTE\">Spit out toothpaste after but do not rinse with water, which can wash away the fluoride <!-- --><\/li>\n<li class=\"sc-8d73edac-0 ezcCTE\">Help children brush their teeth until they are confident and doing it well, around the age of seven <!-- --><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Source: <!-- --><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/baby\/babys-development\/teething\/looking-after-your-babys-teeth\/#:~:text=Use%20a%20tiny%20smear%20of,the%20surfaces%20of%20the%20teeth.\" class=\"sc-c9299ecf-0 beIoQm\">NHS<!-- --><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>54 minutes ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23434"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23438,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434\/revisions\/23438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}