Children across Plymouth are receiving tooth brushing lessons and oral health packs to help them keep their mouths healthy, thanks to funding from Plymouth councillors.
The ‘Open Wide Step Inside’ programme, run by Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC, is available to all Year 2 pupils in Plymouth primary schools.
As part of the programme schoolchildren enjoy a 45-minute interactive session in school where they learn how to take care of their teeth and maintain healthy mouths with the help of an animated film.
Councillors from nearly every ward in the city contributed funds from their community grant allocation to ensure that every child that takes part in the programme this year is given an oral health pack to take home. Some councillors were unable to support the programme as their community grants had already been committed to other projects, so the additional funding required is being provided by Plymouth City Council’s Child Poverty Cabinet Advisory Group.
The oral health packs include a toothbrush, toothpaste, timer, sticker and storybook, giving children all the tools they need to put their learning into practice and help protect their teeth.
A key priority in Plymouth’s Child Poverty Action Plan for 2022 to 2025 is to continue the oral health improvement programme for children. This scheme has helped 1,610 children so far this school year, with the potential to support up to 2,500 in total.
Councillor Rebecca Smith, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Homes and Communities and Chair of the Child Poverty Cabinet Advisory Group, said: “Taking good care of our teeth is vital to help prevent dental issues – and other wider health problems - in the future, so these sessions offer an incredibly important life lesson and will be especially useful to children who may have missed routine dental appointments during the pandemic.
“I would like to express my thanks to my 43 fellow councillors who have generously supported this programme with their community grants in order to help hundreds of children across Plymouth look after their teeth.”
Karen Burn, Oral Health Educator and Dental Outreach Team Lead for Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise said “Being able to offer this programme to Plymouth primary schools is a privilege. Teaching oral health education to primary age children is the key to reducing the number of children being admitted into hospital to have teeth removed under general anaesthetic.
“Having the support of the Plymouth City Councillors has made this programme more impactful meaning every school who takes up the offer is contributing to better oral health for our children.”
For more information about the programme please contact dentaloutreach@plymouth.ac.uk.