Oral health

Key Messages

• As soon as the first tooth appears start to brush your child's teeth
• Brush teeth before bedtime and one other time during the day preferably an hour after eating
• Use toothpaste containing fluoride 
• Sugar free snack foods and drink are advised to prevent tooth decay
• Register your child to see a dentist by the age of one

Services for support

• Oral Health Promotion Team Email: gwh.oralhealthpromotion@nhs.net (opens new window)

Relevant guidance/policies

• Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence based toolkit for prevention (opens new window)
• Improving Oral Health: A toolkit to support commissioning of supervised tooth brushing programmes in early years and school settings (opens new window)

Data

• 78.2% of 5 year old children in Wiltshire are free from dental decay (75.2% is the England average) (PHE Dental Health Profile (opens new window))

Tools

• The Oral Health Foundation (opens new window)
• Better Health: Healthier Families - Sugar (opens new window)
• British Society of Paediatric Dentistry Resources (opens new window)
• Oral Health Foundation Dental Buddy Programme (opens new window)
• Sugar Smart (opens new window) - sign up to access a range of resources