In Swindon, Wiltshire, a town where children are three times more likely to need tooth extractions than the regional average, a new initiative aims to improve oral hygiene among young students.
Over 1,500 children from 19 schools in the area have been participating in The Big Brush Club, a program designed to teach children the importance of dental care. The program involves daily toothbrushing lessons for children aged three to five, supervised by teachers, along with lessons on healthy lifestyles.
Kate Mackinnon, headteacher at Greenmeadow Primary School, emphasized the role of teachers in helping students learn essential skills like brushing their teeth. “Our job is to work closely with families,” she said. “We are supporting parents and working together to do what’s best for the children.”
Recent data shows a concerning dental trend in Swindon. The town has 1,045 children per 100,000 in need of extractions, a stark contrast to just 376 children per 100,000 in the rest of the southwest of England.
Jermaine Badman, a mobile dentist who helps run the oral hygiene sessions, explained her motivation for joining the program. She previously worked at Swindon’s Great Western Hospital and witnessed firsthand the high number of children requiring invasive dental treatments. “Children are often put to sleep for these procedures, which is terrifying for them and can lead to long-term dental phobias,” Badman said. “It’s all preventable, and after seeing the same cases over and over, I decided I wanted to make a change and provide better education.”
The program also supplies free toothbrushes and toothpaste to teachers to distribute to students. Mackinnon noted that these sessions have made a noticeable difference in children’s oral care, both at school and at home. The main message of the initiative is that prevention is better than cure, with daily brushing using fluoride toothpaste shown to significantly reduce the risk of tooth decay.
The Big Brush Club is funded by the NHS in collaboration with local authorities and delivered by At Home Dental, a dental care provider.
Councilor Paul Dixon, cabinet member for children’s social care at Swindon Borough Council, praised the program, stating, “This initiative shows how small changes can make a big difference in improving children’s health.”
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