Youngsters get their teeth into new dental scheme

Health chiefs are hoping to put brighter smiles on the faces of hundreds of local school children with a scheme to improve the oral health of youngsters in the Rochdale Borough.

Determined to stop the march of teeth decay among the area’s children, NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (NHS HMR) is working with Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s (Pennine Care) Oral Health Unit to roll out an enhanced fluoride scheme in primary schools.

Dr Rebecca Craven, Consultant of Dental Public Health for NHS HMR, said: “The ‘Smile Time’ programme is inspired by its success in Scotland which saw the percentage of three-year-olds in Glasgow with decayed teeth fall from 26% to 17%.

“Good oral health is vital – and it’s important that youngsters never forget the importance of looking after their teeth, mouth and gums. I’d urge all parents involved to support the programme which will make a real difference to their children’s oral health.”

The initial pilot programme involves three schools – St Peter’s CE Primary School, Rochdale; Belfield Community Primary School, Rochdale and Bowlee Primary School, Langley, Middleton.

And health chiefs are then keen to roll-out the scheme across the Rochdale Borough once the pilot has been evaluated.

Andrew Forrest, Oral Health Manager at Pennine Care, said: “With support and supplies from our oral health specialists, school teachers will supervise children aged 5 to 7 brushing their own teeth once during the school day. Teachers will be trained to ensure that only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste will be used for tooth brushing which is the recommended amount for primary school-aged children.

“Children in the Rochdale Borough have some of the highest rates of tooth decay in the country so we want to reverse this trend and ensure our children have happy, healthy smiles.”