School leaders respond to school toothbrushing rollout announcement

School leaders have responded to the announcement of a school toothbrushing programme.

Aiming to tackle the children’s oral health crisis, the government is hoping to reduce the number of children being admitted to hospital for decayed teeth by rolling out the new programme.

A partnership has also been formed with Colgate, as the brand is set to donate over 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes.

About the health minister’s announcement of the government’s supervised toothbrushing programme, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union, NAHT, said: “There is no doubt that there is a crisis in childhood dental health in this country and the government are right to make it a priority.

“However, we cannot keep loading increasing expectations on schools. Nor can we keep looking to schools to fix all of society’s ills. Most people would see toothbrushing as a basic part of parenting, and we must be careful not to what is ultimately a parental responsibility onto the shoulders of schools.

“The new expectations around breakfast clubs are already placing increasing demands in schools, there is only so much that we can expect teachers and school staff to do. We would urge the government to think further about how parents can be supported to look after their children’s oral health and to focus on rebuilding NHS dentistry.”

The programme will be rolled out in early years settings and primary schools in deprived areas, with funding available from April 2025.