
Supervised toothbrushing provision varies greatly between different UK areas according to new research, as experts criticise the government’s failure to implement a nationwide scheme.
The research paper found that provision of supervised brushing schemes across the UK has increased since 2022. However, the number of children reached by supervised brushing schemes ranged from 70 to 10,170 between different local authorities.
Lack of funding and capacity were cited as barriers to access. The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) noted that schemes currently rely on collaboration from different organisations and local communities. The society therefore called for the government to implement nationwide supervised toothbrushing schemes as pledged in their election manifesto.
BSPD president Shannu Bhatia said: ‘Whilst BSPD welcomes the progress outlined in the Brush report, we are looking to the government to implement the national programme of supervised toothbrushing, targeting the most deprived areas that was promised.
‘The proof that early years prevention works as an intervention is clear, and BSPD has been calling for targeted supervised toothbrushing nationally for over a decade. We now have to move to the implementation stage as quickly as possible. We are ready to play our part.’
‘The right call on supervised toothbrushing’
The British Dental Association (BDA) criticised the ‘postcode lottery’ of unequal access across different localities. BDA chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘The government has made the right call on supervised toothbrushing, but it needs to put its money where its mouth is.
‘Ministers have a chance to save children pain and our NHS a fortune, but only if they are willing to invest. We need more than the current postcode lottery of provision. Austerity-fuelled hyper-targeting will not achieve the change our children deserve.’
The BDA also expressed ‘grave concern’ that the funding pledged for the brushing schemes was no longer available. The association said that the £125 million funding was meant to come from a ‘raid on non-doms’. However, chancellor Rachel Reeves this week said: ‘We have been listening to the concerns that have been raised by the non-dom community.’
Eddie Crouch continued: ‘The chancellor says she’s ready to listen to concerns of non-doms. It’s time she heeded the warnings of dentists, the needs of patients, and acted on her own party’s manifesto pledges.’
The research suggests that ongoing funding is essential for the implementation of supervised toothbrushing schemes. The BDA said that the schemes provide huge return on investment through reduced treatment need. However, one in four English councils cannot afford the initial cost of establishing one.
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