Parents are responsible for making sure their kids brush their teeth, not teachers – it’s ridiculous
A national supervised toothbrushing campaign has been launched in a bid to “revive” the country’s oral health, but some have branded the scheme “ridiculous”.
The programme, in which children are encouraged to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste, will take place in early years settings, including nurseries and schools.
The scheme, targeted at three- to five-year-olds in England, was launched on Friday, with funding to be made available from April.
The initiative will be aimed at the most deprived areas of the country.
Official data shows that as many as six in ten children in some areas have rotting teeth by the age of five, with clear differences between poorer regions of England and the more affluent.
Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show that under-20-year-olds in Blackpool were admitted to hospital around 240 times for a decaying tooth extraction in 2023-24, down from 260 the year before.
This means there were approximately 756 rotten tooth extractions per 100,000 children and young people in the area, which was among the highest rates in England.
It is hoped that the initiative could save the NHS millions by reducing the number of children who need hospital care for rotten teeth.
While many welcomed the scheme, education leaders said that schools cannot be expected to “fix all of society’s ills” and that steps must be taken to prevent a shift of “what is ultimately a parental responsibility onto the shoulders of schools.”
Some residents also branded the scheme as “ridiculous” and raised concerns about the extra workload on teachers.
Margaret Taylor said: “Parents are responsible for their children, not teachers. This is ridiculous.”
Deborah Walklate said: “Whatever next? This is clearly a responsibility of parents or guardians.”
Dean Otter said: “Schools should have a dentist check in school, and kids should be educated by the dentist, not teachers. If the dentist finds a problem, the parents should be notified with information by letter.”
Christine Barnacle said: “Parents should teach their children how to brush their teeth and how to wash their hands.”
Siân Cuddy said: “More NHS dentists are needed. It’s not the job of schools/teachers.”
Celia Walsh said: “Absolutely not. It’s up to parents to be responsible and teach their own kids to clean their teeth.”
Debbie Bannister said: “Absolute joke. It’s the parents' responsibility. Money is better spent on dental surgeries or getting dentists to accept NHS patients. The fact parents and children can’t access this service is the cause of more tooth decay and poor hygiene.”
Others said the scheme wasn’t new and that it wouldn’t do any harm.
Brian Carr said: “We had this in junior school when I was a kid. It did no harm then and won’t now.”
Steve Brown said: “Sadly necessary when you see the number of kids under ten losing teeth.”
Caroline Anne Bernadette Fisher said: “We had teeth-brushing sessions at school with the red plague tablets in the 80s, hardly a new thing.”
Emma Swallow-Gaunt said: “It's nothing new. I remember this happening in the 80s.”
Michael Ellison said: “It’s annoying that this happens (everything seems to get foisted on teachers), but it’s a solution that actually helps the children that need it.”
Supervised toothbrushing is already available to 143,000 children across the country, according to figures published in the British Dental Journal.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it expects up to 600,000 children to take part in the supervised brushing.
The initiative, from DHSC and the Department for Education, will be backed by £11 million. Schools are able to voluntarily sign up to the scheme.
Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: “It is shocking that a third of five-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay, something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health.
“It’s why we’re delivering supervised toothbrushing to young children and families who are most in need of support as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation.
“This includes providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes through our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive to reach up to 600,000 children each year.”