​The British Orthodontic Society (BOS) is delighted to be collaborating with the Premier League to empower school children across England and Wales to understand the benefits of good oral hygiene with a new Premier League Primary Stars education resource – ‘Taking care of our teeth’.

Developed in collaboration with Stoke City FC, the free resource, which includes worksheets and online activities to boost the dental health habits of children aged seven to 11, will be available to every primary school in England and Wales. The resource encourages classroom-based discussions on the sugar levels in different food types, the effects that sugar can have on oral health and how to make healthy choices to keep teeth strong.

Nick Perchard, premier league head of community and football policy, said, “Premier League Primary Stars uses the power of football to encourage children to talk about a wide range of issues in the classroom, supporting them to make healthy, positive life choices. This new educational resource, which includes full lesson plans and interactive content, is a great example of our ongoing work to support health and wellbeing.”

Anjli Patel, director of external relations, British Orthodontic Society, said, "The British Orthodontic Society is delighted to be collaborating with Premier League Primary Stars to make a positive difference to the lives of young people. We hope to inspire the next generation to make healthier lifestyle choices such as being ‘sugar smart’. Initiatives such as this with Premier League Primary Stars mean we can create more awareness of the issues around good oral health."

Premier League Primary Stars ‘Taking care of our teeth’ builds on the success of Stoke City Community Trust’s award-winning ‘Keep Stoke Smiling’ project, which has used the appeal of football to deliver diet and dental health messaging to 11,000 primary school children in Staffordshire.

Adrian Hurst, head of community at Stoke City Community Trust, said, “Our ‘Keep Stoke Smiling’ project was hailed as a work of genius by the president of the British Orthodontic Society, and we are absolutely delighted to be working with Premier League Primary Stars to make oral hygiene resources more widely available to other football club community organisations.”

Karen Juggins, consultant orthodontist, said, “Keep Britain Smiling is delighted to be working with Premier League Primary Stars to engage with young people through the power of football, encouraging them to look after their teeth and show them the benefits of a great smile. We are revolutionising the way dental health education is delivered by harnessing the power of our collaboration.”

For more information visit https://plprimarystars.com/

Author: