BSPD Welcomes Government's £11M Investment in Children's Oral Health
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- Published: Thursday, 13 March 2025 14:51
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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The announcement earlier this month by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) of an £11 million investment ringfenced to improve children‘s oral health in England, has been warmly welcomed by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD).
The commitment, in monetary terms a record, is to fund a targeted supervised toothbrushing scheme for three, four and five year olds in England and is aligned to BSPD’s recommendation to invest in a preventative approach.
The Government funding, combined with a ’generous’ corporate commitment from Colgate-Palmolive it is hoped ’should improve children’s oral health significantly’ over the next two to five years according to the BSPD.
The costed and funded commitment will see children attending schools and early years settings across the country receiving supervised toothbrushing plus a supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home.
Evidence, from Scotland shows that reaching children as early as possible with supervised toothbrushing schemes gives them a better oral health start to life, and saves money for the NHS in the long-term.
BSPD has been calling for targeted supervised toothbrushing in England for children for over ten years. The Society is aware of the barriers to realising supervised toothbrushing schemes, which include funding and capacity. There has been, and still is, some resistance from certain school personnel who object to being burdened with additional responsibilities.
However, with this significant commitment from Government and industry, it’s hoped any barriers have been addressed and progress can start.
The Government’s plans also include expansion of Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) across the North-East of England. BSPD has championed this approach since it can deliver substantial reductions in dental decay, abscesses, toothache, tooth extraction and the need for general anaesthetic and hospital admission, particularly in young children.
Dr Urshla Devalia, BSPD Media Spokesperson 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. Intervening now with a supervised toothbrushing scheme, plus community water fluoridation programmes are initiatives proven to deliver beneficial oral health outcomes that will pay for themselves several fold in the future."
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