Lets Smile

THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN BENEFIT
FROM BRUSHING SCHEME
All community dental services in Wales are now delivering the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s Designed to Smile scheme, which is aimed at improving the oral health and preventing tooth decay among children.
Over 30,000 children are now benefiting from the scheme, which is being delivered through 500 schools. Following successful pilots across Wales the programme was rolled out nationally in 2009 and is now being expanded to nurseries and playgroups.
In the scheme dental health support workers deliver a supervised tooth-brushing programme in schools and provide toothbrushes and toothpaste to school children along with oral health advice. Significant progress has been made across Wales with more children from deprived areas taking part in tooth brushing schemes designed to provide children with the tools they need to develop and maintain good oral health from an early age.
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“It is vitally important that children are taught the importance of looking after their teeth from an early age and I am pleased that the Assembly Government’s ‘Designed to Smile Scheme’ is delivering upon its aims.”
Part of this service is delivered via mobile dental health units that provide specialist preventive care and treatment to schools.
The monitoring report produced by Cardiff University detailing activity in the first full year of the initiative shows that:
o Over 500 schools and over 30,000 children now benefiting from the programme (up from 8,116 in the first period of the scheme).
o 30,000 home packs including toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste have been distributed in each of the pilot areas.
o Over 12,000 treatments called fissure sealants delivered, preventing tooth decay and reducing the need for fillings.