Big Brush Club is a supervised toothbrushing scheme funded by NHS England, being delivered to primary schools and early years settings across the southwest.

In Bristol, supervised toothbrushing is currently available to 82 eligible primary schools (those with higher rates of deprivation in IMD 1-6) and all special schools across Bristol. Uptake has been very positive with 78% Bristol schools so far participating!

This evidence-based initiative is fully funded by the NHS and being delivered by At Home Dental’s Big Brush Club. They provide training for staff to become Oral Health Champions and support schools to carry out daily toothbrushing sessions to children aged 3-5 in the classroom. It is simple, effective, and potentially life changing. They also offer oral health education lessons and have information and resources available on their website.

Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission for young children, and the sad truth is that this is largely preventable. In 2022, a shocking 60,000 school days were missed due to tooth extractions and 1 in 5 children aged 3-5 in England experienced tooth decay.

Supervised toothbrushing aims to help tackle this problem. It aims to reduce children’s hospital visits and school absences due to dental issues, ultimately easing pressure on the NHS and reducing pain and disruption for children.

If your school is eligible for this scheme and has not yet signed up, please contact info@bigbrushclub.co.uk for more information and visit www.bigbrushclub.co.uk