UK secondary schools have rolled out ‘critical’ school-based intervention to reduce tooth decay in young people.
This comes after researchers from leading UK universities recognised the ‘vital need’ to prevent tooth decay in secondary school students.
They found that tooth decay affects a third of young people aged 12-15 years, and nearly half of young people living in areas of poverty.
In addition, they found that young people with tooth decay suffer from toothache, sleep loss, eating problems, and poor physical and mental health. Subsequently, it can lead to increased school absences.
The researchers conducted a new trial, called Bright, investigating school-based intervention aimed at reducing tooth decay in young people.
As a result, they created new resources for which are now being rolled out across the UK.
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‘Critical stage’ for toothbrushing practices
The new initiative aims to:
- Approach tooth brushing in a more positive way
- Consider their own motivations for tooth brushing
- Reflect on their barriers to tooth brushing
- Complete an action plan to support sustainable good oral health.
The initiative’s resources are available for teachers to access and download, and have already been downloaded over 300 times.
In addition, the PSHE Association gave the resources a ‘Quality Mark’. This is an exclusive award for resources that meet its best practice principles for safe and effective PSHE education.
Professor Zoe Marshman, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, co-led the Bright trial. She said: ‘Tooth decay and all its negative consequences such as toothache, loss of sleep and problems eating are very common in children of secondary school age.
‘While school-based initiatives for children between the ages of four to 11 have been delivered for decades, there is very little for secondary schools.
‘However, this is a critical stage for toothbrushing practices to become an established behaviour for adulthood.
‘This is why it is vital to help young people to improve their understanding of the importance of toothbrushing and skills to prevent tooth decay.’
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