UHNM oral health project Keep Stoke Smiling backs Government scheme for supervised toothbrushing

A UHNM oral health project today welcomed a Government scheme to help hundreds of thousands of children aged between three and five years old to develop positive brushing habits.

Children in the most deprived areas of England will get access to a programme to help protect them from tooth decay, the government has announced.

The most common reason children aged five to nine being are admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth. Latest data shows one in four children aged five have experienced tooth decay in England, with higher rates of up to one in three in more deprived areas. 

The scheme will help tackle these levels of poor health by ensuring they get the support they need to learn positive habits and prevent tooth decay – in turn avoiding related illness and poor health later in life.

Today Dr Karen Juggins, UHNM Consultant Orthodontist, said: “We started Keep Stoke Smiling in 2018 as a new, innovative way of delivering oral health care messages to children and young adults in the area. We were bored of the same old NHS posters and we wanted something to engage and inspire and drive young people to really take action and think about looking after their teeth.

“Thanks to funding from UHNM Charity and a partnership with Stoke City Community Trust we have been going into schools and teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth and learn more about oral health and the effects of diet on their teeth for some time.”

She added: “It is great that the Government recognises the importance of this education in a school setting and that the supervised brushing scheme, will hopefully make a real impact in preventing tooth decay and ensuring brighter futures for all children, regardless of needs or circumstances.”