Labour launches supervised toothbrushing scheme as tooth decay amongst Hackney children remains high
Children aged three to five in Hackney’s nurseries and primary schools will be taught how to brush their teeth under an £11m government-backed scheme. It was announced by Stephen Kinnock, the health minister, last Friday.
Children in Hackney have higher levels of tooth decay than the national average, according to the most recent oral health survey of five-year-old schoolchildren.
39.4 per cent of children in hackney have dental plaque
The survey found 24.2 per cent of the 170 children examined in Hackney had decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT), compared to 22.4 per cent in England.
Additionally, 34.9 per cent of children in Hackney had dental plaque, compared to 22.1 per cent in England.
Only 38 per cent of children in hackney saw a dentist last year
Hackney is also one of the worst performing boroughs when it comes to children not having NHS dental check-ups.
According to government data, only 38 per cent of children in Hackney saw a dentist last year, lower than the London average of 53 per cent.
Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admissions amongst children, according to the British Dental Association.
Under the scheme, which will be introduced from April, children across Hackney will learn positive brushing habits, helping to prevent tooth decay and future dental problems.
The government has said it is partnering with Colgate to distribute more than “23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes over the next five years” as part of the scheme.
The scheme is part of the government’s Plan for Change, which has been introduced alongside 700,000 extra emergency appointments in dental deserts (areas with a lack of NHS dentists). Northeast London will be allocated 17,452 more appointments from April.
Dr Jasbir Thiara, principal dentist at Hoxton Dental, Kingsland Road, said: “It’s important to have supervised toothbrushing in schools so children learn how to brush their teeth and can carry on with this back home.”
But Thiara thinks that preventing child tooth decay should not rely solely on schools.
She said: “Schools alone are not going to reduce incidents of tooth decay. There is only so much teachers can do. There needs to be some responsibility at home, including communicating with children about the importance of diet.”
