Hundreds of thousands of three to five-year-olds living in poorer areas will be supported to properly brush their teeth from April, in a major win for the Mirror’s Dentists for All campaign
Supervised toothbrushing is being rolled out at schools in a big win for the Mirror’s Dentists for All campaign.
Hundreds of thousands of three to five-year-olds living in poorer areas will be supported to properly brush their teeth from April. It comes as emergency tooth extractions due to tooth decay remain the number one reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to fix “the legacy of a rotten Tory government after 14 years of neglect” Colgate has agreed to donate 23million toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste to support the programme over the next five years.
The Government says up to 600,000 children a year will receive toothbrushing support.
Writing in the Mirror, Sir Keir said: “Almost 50,000 young people had to go to hospital last year to have rotten teeth pulled out. The year before, decay related tooth extraction for children in hospital cost £64 million.
“It’s absolutely shocking that the most common reason children aged five to nine being admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth – and it’s heartbreakingly common among children in deprived areas.”
Latest data shows one in four children aged five have experienced tooth decay in England. In poorer areas a third of children have rotting teeth. Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind said: “As a father to a blended family of eight children, I know how hard it can be to get children to clean their teeth well, regularly, and consistently, and this is especially true when family life can be so hectic.
“It’s important that we get the basics right for our children, and things like poor personal or oral hygiene can impact a child’s early years, and beyond.”
Teachers will receive training to deliver daily supervised brushing sessions in which they will demonstrate for the pupils who brush their own teeth.
Dental 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.” The plan resurrects pioneering supervised brushing programmes developed by dentists working in London and the East of England in the late Victorian period.
Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association, said: “It’s rare to find something to smile about in dentistry these days. But supervised tooth brushing is tried and tested policy that will save children from pain and our NHS a fortune. The only concern is why it’s taken a century to get here. Ministers need to go further and faster.”
The programme will fulfil a Labour manifesto pledge and provide local authorities in England with £11 to deploy supervised toothbrushing in schools and nurseries that voluntarily sign up. Councils will approach schools and nurseries in target areas and encourage them to enroll.
Jason Wong, the chief dental officer for England, said: “Tooth brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste remains one of the best defences against tooth decay and a long list of preventable oral health issues. This is why we’re thrilled that the government is working with the NHS to expand access to pivotal supervised toothbrushing programmes in schools. Having strong healthy teeth can have a hugely positive impact on a child’s life.”
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More than 12 million people were unable to access NHS dental care last year – more than 1 in 4 adults in England. At the same time 90% of dental practices are no longer accepting new NHS adult patients. Data from the House of Commons Library showed 40% of children didn’t have their recommended annual check-up last year.
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A Parliamentary report by the Health Select Committee has branded the current NHS dentists’ contracts as “not fit for purpose” and described the state of the service as “unacceptable in the 21st century”. The system effectively sets quotas on the maximum number of NHS patients a dentist can see as it caps the number of procedures they can perform each year. Dentists also get paid the same for delivering three or 20 fillings, often leaving them out of pocket. The system should be changed so it enables dentists to treat on the basis of patient need.
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The rollout is expected to save the NHS millions of pounds that would otherwise be spent on treating dental disease in children in hospital with admissions costing around £1,600 per person. Every £1 spent on supervised toothbrushing is expected to save £3 in avoided treatment costs with an expected saving of £34million over the next five years.
Dr Urshla Devalia, spokesperson for the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, said: “At last, we will see the dial shift on children’s oral health in England. BSPD has been advocating for the importance of a preventative approach to address the crisis in children’s oral health for years.”
Data published last week showed more than 49,000 young people under-19 were admitted to hospital for tooth extractions in the financial year ending 2024.
Jason Wong added: “If you’re concerned about your child’s oral health, you can find helpful guidance on the NHS website or through your local authority – and as a reminder to parents, all children have free dental care available through the NHS.”
Noel Wallace, the president of Colgate-Palmolive, said: “With the launch of the supervised brushing scheme, this partnership will be able to make a real impact in preventing tooth decay and ensuring brighter futures for generations to come. We want all children, regardless of needs or circumstances, to be fully equipped with the information and tools they need to keep improving their oral health every day.”
Labour have vowed to tackle the “flawed” NHS dental contract, but the BDA says it has made “no progress” since entering government last year. The contract pays dentists the same amount for three fillings as 20.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: The lack of access to an NHS dentist is an issue of inequity. Significant reforms to the NHS dental contract are needed to support the workforce in delivering a comprehensive service. We call on the government to deliver a timeline for these reforms immediately.”
Alongside the launch the government has confirmed it is going ahead with the expansion of community water fluoridation across the North-East of England. Water fluoridation is the process of adding fluoride to public water supplies to prevent tooth decay. Around 1 in 10 people in England currently have fluoride added to their drinking water supplies.