Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to expand the Supervised Toothbrushing Scheme beyond early years settings to include older school-aged children; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting school nurses and public health teams to provide (a) toothbrushes and (b) fluoride toothpaste during individual health assessments in areas with high levels of dental health inequality.

There are no plans to change the focus of the national supervised toothbrushing programme from three to five-year-old children living in the 20% most deprived areas of England. However, there is flexibility for local authorities to consider additional provision if the needs of this population have been met. This might include older or younger children, children with special educational needs and disabilities, or other vulnerable groups. This should be based on local oral health needs assessments and decision making.

School nurses and public health teams, working with other professionals, have an essential role in promoting children’s oral health with population and individual level interventions. This can include the provision of toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste packs based on local decision making.