Oral health

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework states that early years and childcare providers must promote good oral health of children who attend their setting. Children need to form good oral health habits from an early age to help avoid tooth decay.

“Overall 23.7% of 5 year old children in England had experience of obvious dentinal decay.” (Oral health survey of 5 year old children 2022 - GOV.UK).

Help for early years provider’s oral health web page contains guidance on how to promote good oral health to young children in early years and childcare settings. It also contains additional resources such as the supervised tooth brushing programme toolkit, Dental Buddy free resource and oral health e-learning modules.

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust’s dedicated team of dental care professionals can provide oral care advice for the early years and childcare providers by:

• visiting nurseries, playgroups and childminders to carry out staff training
• supporting with tooth-brushing schemes
• providing advice for parents and 1:1 sessions for families if required

Contact the team to discuss this further:

• Email: sctr.oralhealthpromotionteam@nhs.net
• Phone: 01273 267345

Supervised toothbrushing programmes are effective in reducing tooth decay, especially in children at greatest risk, and are cost effective. You can access a Supervised Toothbrushing toolkit from the BRUSH project. Their website has useful resources for professionals and parents or carers.

You can access additional support and information at:

• Dental Wellness Trust
• Oral Health Foundation
• Oral Health (PACEY)

Information is available from the NHS about how to take care of children's teeth.

If a family has concerns about their child’s oral health, signpost them to their dentist for further assessment and support. Local NHS dentists can be found on the NHS website.

If a child needs urgent dental care, and their dentist does not offer emergency appointments, parents or carers can contact NHS 111.