Hundreds of thousands of children in England will be given supervised toothbrushing – as data shows as many as a third in some areas have rotting teeth by the age of five.
The government has launched the national supervised toothbrushing campaign in a bid to “revive” the country’s oral health.
Teeth health can vary significantly between poorer and more affluent areas of England, data shows.
Figures reveal the most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth.
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 new scheme will be rolled out in early years settings such as nurseries and schools and children will be encouraged to brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste.
It is hoped the initiative could save the NHS millions by reducing the number of children who need hospital care for rotten teeth.
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The Department of Health and Social Care said it expected up to 600,000 children to take part in the supervised brushing.
Schools are able to voluntarily sign up for the scheme, which is backed by £11m of government funding.
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Health 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 as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation.
“This includes providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes through our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive to reach up to 600,000 children each year.”
While many welcomed the scheme, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said schools could not be expected to “fix all of society’s ills” and that steps must be taken to prevent a shift of “what is ultimately a parental responsibility on to the shoulders of schools”.
The NHS says people should brush their teeth for around two minutes before bed and on one other occasion every day.
It doesn’t matter if you use an electric or manual toothbrush, the NHS says, as long as you clean all the surfaces on all your teeth and use fluoride toothpaste.
When brushing remember to brush the inside surfaces, outside surfaces and the chewing surfaces of your teeth.
Children need to be helped or supervised brushing their teeth until they’re at least seven years old.
After brushing, spit out any excess toothpaste but don’t rinse your mouth immediately as it’ll wash away the concentrated fluoride in the remaining toothpaste.
