MORE than 1,600 children in North Somerset are now brushing their teeth together each day – under the supervision of a trained teacher.

The North Somerset Council area has become the first to see all eligible schools sign up to NHS Southwest’s Supervised Toothbrushing Scheme.

It means hundreds of youngsters in preschools, reception and year one classes across 23 schools have started brushing their teeth together each day, under the supervision of a trained teacher.

“Supported by the North Somerset Better Health team, At Home Dental and the Big Brush Team have found engaging ways to inspire children to brush their teeth through singing, rhymes and mascots,” a council spokesperson said.

“They have provided training and support to ensure the schools have everything they need to be able to help the children to brush their teeth.

“We’re now in the fortunate position to be able to expand this scheme to more childcare settings, starting with pre-schools in the more deprived neighbourhoods. 18 settings have been identified and we anticipate that many will take up the scheme.”

The news comes after a debate in the House of Commons this week revealed:

• At a regional level, oral health inequalities for young children are now wider than at any time during the use of this survey methodology (from 2008 onwards)
• Locally, 43.8% of children have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months (up to June 30, 2023)

MP Dan Aldridge (Labour, Weston-Super-Mare) was among those taking part in Parliament, asking: “37% of five-year olds in North Somerset have enamel and/or dentine decay – a figure well above the national average.

“The Better Health North Somerset team do amazing work to promote good oral health, but regular dentist check-ups are the oral health silver bullet.

“Could the Minister outline the work he is doing to ensure that all children in Weston, Worle and across the country can get access to the dentistry services that they so desperately need?”

The minister’s reply emphasised prevention is better than cure.

Cllr Jenna Ho Marris, added: “It’s imperative that we work with all our partners to educate children, parents and caregivers to ensure we improve levels of oral health in this region.

“Schemes such as this supervised toothbrushing are vital to enabling better health for our children in North Somerset.

“We continue to promote the key health messages of brushing twice a day, reducing sugar and regularly visiting a dentist to ensure that our children get the best possible start when it comes to oral health.”