Childsmile: Scottish oral health improvement

Scotland has a history of poor oral health, especially in children, and this was highlighted in the Scottish Executive's An Action Plan for Improving the Oral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland (Scottish Executive, 2005). Following the publication of this report, a national oral health improvement project was developed. This programme (now called Childsmile) has led to improvements in the oral health of Scotland's children and continues to evolve and develop to this day.

Childsmile is the national child oral health improvement programme in Scotland introduced by the Scottish Government in response to a history of poor oral health. Childsmile was founded with the dual aim to improve the oral health of children in Scotland, and reduce inequalities in dental health and access to services. This dual aim was a reflection of one of the 10 key principles outlined in the dental action plan, calling for child dental services to be focused on prevention, and designed to meet the needs of those in the most disadvantaged communities. Nearly 10 years on from the inception of the programme, this dual aim still exists, and work continues to meet these goals.