Nearly one in four children skip toothbrushing

A new survey has revealed that nearly a quarter of children (24%) skip toothbrushing altogether because they ‘forget or become distracted’.

The survey was conducted by Ordo in partnership with the Dental Wellness Trust to better understand parents’ attitudes towards children’s oral health.

It also found that over half of parents (52%) report everyday hassles, eg busy mornings, late-night fatigue or chaotic schedules, as the biggest reason their children skip brushing.

In addition, 10% said their children are put off by the strong taste of toothpaste, while another 7% are deterred by sensitive teeth.

When it came to wider support, 21% felt let down by the ‘inadequate’ dental education system’.

This follows the government’s announcement that a national supervised toothbrushing programme will be rolled out for UK children aged three to five from April.

The survey also revealed that parents have mixed opinions on the programme:

• Some 44% of parents believe it will help prevent early tooth decay
• Around 22% feel relieved that action is being taken
• Approximately 8% doubt its long-term impact
• A further 4% worry it may not reach the children who need it most.

Supervised toothbrushing to launch in schools

The scheme will be launched in early years settings such as primary schools and nurseries in the most deprived areas of the country. The government is investing £11 million in local authorities to deliver the programme to institutions that sign up, with funding available from April 2025.

Every £1 spent on supervised toothbrushing is estimated to save £3 in avoided treatment costs. This equates to a saving of £34 million for the NHS over the next five years.

Urshla Devalia, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) media spokesperson, said: ‘At last we will see the dial shift on children’s oral health in England. BSPD has been advocating for the importance of a preventative approach to address the crisis in children’s oral health for years.

‘Intervening now with a supervised toothbrushing scheme, plus community water fluoridation programmes are initiatives proven to deliver beneficial oral health outcomes that will pay for themselves severalfold in the future. Children’s oral health is everyone’s business, so we are delighted to see industry partners stepping up and taking on the role they can play in reducing oral health inequalities. 

‘We are excited to see this commitment to improving children’s oral health, but there is a lot of work to do, and BSPD is rolling up its sleeves to play its part. This is the decisive action we have been pushing for.’

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