Labour pledges toothbrushing scheme for three- to five-year-olds in schools

The scheme would be targeted at areas with the highest childhood tooth decay and aims to tackle the issue of the high numbers of children requiring operations to have rotting teeth removed.

Figures show that one in three children living in the most deprived areas of England suffer from tooth decay, and are three times more likely to have rotting teeth than children in the least deprived areas.

Tooth decay is the most common reason for children aged six-to-10 to be admitted to hospital.
Government statistics show that 42,000 children went to hospital to have teeth removed in 2021/22, 26,700 of whom had tooth decay as their main diagnosis.

• Dr Saul Konviser: How early years settings can help improve child dental health

Labour’s plans are backed by dentists, paediatricians, the British Dental Association, the Oral Health Foundation, and the charity the Dental Wellness Trust.

Professor Claire Stevens, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) spokesperson, said children’s dental services were ‘in crisis’ and that it was ‘a serious plan’ for both the immediate crisis and the longterm.

‘We must recognise that, through no fault of their own, some children need greater help to get the oral health start in life that every child deserves,' she said.

‘We therefore welcome these measures as we know we need urgent action to address the persistent and immoral inequalities we see in children’s oral health. Intervening with a targeted supervised toothbrushing scheme is proven to deliver beneficial oral health outcomes that also pay for themselves severalfold in the future.’ 

Labour’s plans are also backed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the RCPCH said, 'As a children’s doctor, I know only too well the significant health and social consequences resulting from poor oral health. In 2022, 29 per cent of five-year-olds in England had tooth decay. This is unacceptable in one of the richest nations in the world. It is a scandal that children living in the most deprived communities are unfairly and disproportionately impacted.

'We know poor oral health is entrenching existing inequalities yet tooth decay is entirely preventable. That is why I and my colleagues across the medical profession have repeatedly called for action that enables positive oral health habits in children.'

The National Day Nurseries Association welcomed the move. It partners with the British Dental Association as part of its Healthy Body Happy Me campaign to promote good practice in oral health.

NDNA’s director of policy and communications, Jonathan Broadbery said, ‘Moves to support young children’s dental health are very welcome as healthy habits formed in a child’s early years can make a difference that lasts a lifetime.

‘Nurseries up and down the country already have a lot of good practice in place but the data shows more can be done. Targeted support to those in the most disadvantaged areas could help settings do even more for children’s oral health. However, for early years settings to keep making a difference to children’s development, learning and health and well-being, early education and care needs to be properly funded by any government.’

However, some teaching unions were more sceptical.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said, ‘This week we have seen guidance on mobile phones from government and a new dentistry duty from the opposition. This is not the immediate response needed to solve the mounting crises in school. We need to see greater ambition in the short, medium and long term. 

'We have serious reservations about how such a policy could even work. It is not the role of teachers to be making sure children brush their teeth each day.

‘Schools already play a role in teaching children about the importance of looking after their teeth through the curriculum, but there has to be a limit in terms of what we can expect them to do.’

However, the idea of supervised toothbrushing in schools is not new. A survey in 2018 found that three-quarters of primary schools were running toothbrushing sessions, every morning, because children told them they don’t regularly brush their teeth at home.

Labour’s pledge also includes 700,000 more appointments a year to those in the most urgent need, such as for fillings and root canal, as well as incentives for new dentists to work in areas with the greatest need, to tackle the emergence of ‘dental deserts’ where no NHS dentists are taking on new patients.

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party said, ‘People are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need one, with appalling consequences. Horror stories of DIY dentistry are too frequent.  

‘My Labour government will not stand for millions of people being denied basic healthcare.’