Local schoolchildren are brushing up on their oral health

St Mary's year 6 pupils Grace Royal, Mischa Eaton & Edwin Otasowe with dentist Bernie Lackey (back left) & deputy headteacher Kay Whitfield (back right)

St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Rochdale is a pilot site for Greater Manchester Public Health England’s ‘Dental Buddy Scheme for primary schools’, which links local dental practices and schools together.

As part of the scheme the local dentist and dental nurse will meet children and their families to introduce themselves and encourage people to attend their local practice.

They will also check children’s teeth during school time, recommend preventative treatments such as fluoride varnish, provide tooth brushing and tooth-friendly snacking advice for use at home and advise of any required restoration work.

Kay Whitfield, deputy headteacher at St Mary’s, said: “The dental buddy scheme is fabulous and every school should take it up. We’ve done a lot of work to educate children about teeth and every day our children brush their teeth for two minutes in class. The whole school is committed to good oral health and we know at the end of every day we’re sending children home with a healthy mouth.

“A lot of parents who attended the check-ups with their children have also told us they feel more confident about taking their child to the dentist because of the scheme.”

Mischa Eaton, a year six pupil at St Mary’s, said: “We’ve learnt lots of things about teeth like you need to brush twice a day and not drink fizzy pop. It’s good because some people don’t brush their teeth at home so they might go bad.”

The latest figures from Public Health England show that 64% of children in the borough visited the dentist in the last 12 months, compared to the national average of 57.9%.

The buddy scheme aims to continue improving the percentage of children visiting the dentist regularly for their check-ups.

Bernie Lackey, dentist (BDS) at Kirkholt Dental Centre, said: “I’m really happy to be involved in this fantastic scheme because it’s a great way to identify those children who have never seen a dentist or might need help. I’m able to encourage children to register with a dentist and advise them how to keep a healthy mouth, which is important information which they can then pass on to everyone at home.”

Since the start of the pilot other primary schools in the Kirkholt area are signing up to the scheme including Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School. It could also be rolled out across the borough.

According to Public Health England’s oral health survey in 2016 18.9% of three year olds and 43.5% of five years old had experienced tooth decay. It is hoped that these schemes will help improve these figures by 2020.