NHS Herefordshire and Herefordshire Council are launching a new programme in Ledbury to improve the dental health of local children.
The Give Me a Smile programme, which aims to make tooth brushing at school a part of the daily routine and help children to grow up with a healthy smile, will be launched at Ledbury Primary School and Children’s Centre on 4 March. It will then be rolled out to other schools, children's centres and nurseries around the county.
At the launch, staff from NHS Herefordshire, the school and children’s centre will talk to the parents about how the programme will work and the role they can play in making this a success.
The dental health of children in Herefordshire compares poorly to rest of the country. Yet dental decay, the most common dental disease in children, is largely preventable. Brushing children’s teeth twice a day with a family fluoride toothpaste and cutting down on sugary food and drink are important steps that parents and carers can take to protect their children’s teeth from decay.
The Give Me a Smile programme will involve nursery and reception aged children brushing their teeth at school as part of the school routine. Children will also get top tips on brushing their teeth properly and lessons on the importance of keeping mouths, teeth and gums healthy. A toothbrush bus (a storage unit for the children’s toothbrushes) will be wheeled out each day so that the children can take part in daily, supervised tooth brushing sessions. The toothbrush bus is not a real vehicle, but a fun interactive way of encouraging children with their peers to brush their teeth once at school and then at home in the evening.
Kim Gristy, Herefordshire Council’s children’s centre manager, said: “We are very excited to be taking part in the programme and are sure the children will benefit from it. We’re all getting involved, staff included, so that we can all feel proud of showing off our pearly whites.
“This is a fun, safe and interactive way of promoting better dental health, and will also encourage children to get into the habit of good tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste from an early age.”