Four in five teachers providing pupils with toothpaste and brushes

A survey of secondary teachers by hygiene poverty charity Beauty Banks in partnership with the British Dental Association (BDA) revealed:

Jo Jones, the co-founder of Beauty Banks, says, "We work with charities including food banks, family centres, domestic abuse centres, homeless shelters and universally - across the board - toothpaste is now our most requested item. Before the cost of living crisis, it wasn’t even in the top three.

“So we initiated this research with the British Dental Association to fully understand the immediate and long-term impact of a lack of access to fundamental but vital oral hygiene essentials.”

Tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions among young children. According to the BDA, tooth decay in children has reached epidemic levels, with any recent gains set to be undone by ongoing access problems and disruption to public health programmes.