Charity expands its children’s oral health education programme

At least one in nine children has missed school due to dental problems, with a total of more than 15m school days missed in the past year, according to data from leading dental provider Denplan, part of Simplyhealth. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of parents whose child required emergency dental treatment say their child has missed a half day (three to four hours) due to emergency dental treatment, with one in 10 reporting full school days were missed due to this, finds Denplan’s ‘Oral Healthcare Report’.

Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, has announced a £100,000 donation to its charity partner Dentaid, which will expand its oral health education programme, BrightBites, to a minimum of 90,000 UK school-aged children. Targeting schools, nurseries and clubs for low-income families, volunteers will deliver in-person sessions with a range of resources, including toothbrushing charts, stickers, recipes and healthy teeth leaflets, to educate and inform children about oral health.