Hundreds of thousands of 3 to 5-year-olds in deprived areas of England have received over two million toothbrushes and toothpastes in major dental health drive

Over two million free toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste have been delivered to children in the most deprived areas of England, thanks to a ground-breaking partnership between the Government and Colgate-Palmolive.

ADVERTISEMENT: Send Money Worldwide with Wise – Get a Free Transfer!

The milestone this month is part of the Government’s Plan for Change to give children the best start in life. It marks the beginning of a five-year collaboration between the Government and Colgate-Palmolive to help children develop positive toothbrushing habits and set them on a path to better oral health. 

Up to 600,000 3–5-year-olds in early years settings will benefit from the pioneering scheme which will help to develop good toothbrushing habits this school year.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock was in Sheffield yesterday visiting Tinsley Primary School to see how the rollout was progressing in the city, where nearly 9,500 children will receive brushing products this year.  

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said:    

Education Minister and Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey said:

The scheme will reduce the number of decayed teeth in children, which remains the most common reason for a 5–9-year-old child to be admitted to hospital in England – with seventy a day having teeth extracted due to decay.

ADVERTISEMENT: Send Money Worldwide with Wise – Get a Free Transfer!

Through its Plan for Change, the government is tackling health inequalities, like tooth decay in children, as part of its major shift from sickness to prevention. The government is also driving forward action to improve oral health across the country and fundamentally reform the NHS dental sector. 

Alongside investment in Best Start Family Hubs – which will act as a one-stop shop for parents seeking support on everything from breastfeeding difficulties and housing issues to children’s early development and language – the government is also taking action to raise the healthiest generation of children and tackle health inequalities by cracking down on junk food advertising, introducing new healthier baby food standards and banning the sales of high-caffeine drinks to under-16s.

Supervised toothbrushing is the government’s first step to improving children’s oral health. There has also been a consultation to expand community water fluoridation to the North-East – which will help improve dental health and tackle long-standing inequalities in the region.

Through an innovative collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive, two million toothbrushes and toothpastes have been delivered, with a total of over 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes committed over the next five years to support the programme.  

Designed to reduce inequalities in oral health and to make sure every child living in a deprived area has access to evidence-based oral health interventions across the country, the programme is expected to return £3 for every £1 the Government invested, with a potential of over £34 million generated for the investment committed this year over the next 5 years.   

ADVERTISEMENT: Send Money Worldwide with Wise – Get a Free Transfer!

This initiative complements action already underway through the Plan for Change to make family life easier and ease the burden on parents, including the expansion of free school meals to households on Universal Credit, a cap on school uniform costs, and the biggest ever increase in funded childcare.

Colgate-Palmolive’s Representative Jimena Rodriguez, VP, Consumer Experience said:   

Dr Oosh Devalia, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) President said: 

Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: