Government challenged over pledge on supervised toothbrushing
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There is a “postcode lottery” of supervised toothbrushing for children in England, leading dentists have said as a new study revealed wide variation in provision across the country. Labour pledged in its manifesto to “introduce a supervised toothbrushing scheme for three to five-year-olds, targeting the areas of highest need”.
But the British Dental Association said that the Government is yet to deliver on its promise. Supervised toothbrushing is already available for some children across England, with national programmes in place in Wales and Scotland. These programmes are typically delivered in schools or nurseries, with children encouraged to brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste.
And a new review, published in the British Dental Journal, reveals variation of existing schemes in England. Current schemes, which are run or commissioned by local authorities, appear to target areas of deprivation or where the prevalence of dental disease is highest.
But the use of the schemes varies hugely – from just 70 children receiving support in one local authority while more than 10,000 have been helped in another. Four in 10 areas have not implemented a supervised toothbrushing programme at all. The paper highlights key barriers to the programmes that are in place, including funding, logistics and a lack of engagement.
“Dental caries in children in England remains a major public health problem,” the authors wrote. “STPs (supervised toothbrushing programmes) have been shown to reduce both the prevalence of dental caries and inequalities, while also being cost-effective, particularly when targeted to areas of deprivation.”.
