Rapper and health activist Professor Green is helping the NHS raise awareness among families about the importance of children looking after their teeth, by launching an exciting competition to all primary schools across the South West.

He says he only realised later in life how not brushing properly twice a day affected his own physical and mental health – so now takes this seriously with his own son alongside a healthy diet.

To promote this message, he is supporting the biggest supervised toothbrushing scheme in England, in schools across the South West, where a fifth of five-year-olds have tooth decay.

Launching a competition for schools to sing their own version of the Big Brush Club’s catchy toothbrushing theme tune, Professor Green said:

“I am chuffed to be able to support the NHS supervised toothbrushing in schools’ scheme, and to be judging a competition which gives young children a creative outlet, while also teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth at least twice a day.

“Getting this right for children will result in fewer kids being admitted to hospital with avoidable tooth decay and better oral health for them in adulthood.

“I cannot wait to review and judge the competition entries.”

Professor Green will join a judging panel for the competition, which will run until the end of May. Additionally, there is also a colouring in category where entrants can choose to colour one of the Big Brush Club official Mascots.

The Big Brush Club is offered in 895 primary schools and pre-schools in areas of greatest tooth decay across South West England.

Teachers hold short, daily toothbrushing sessions for three- to-five-year-olds alongside lessons about self-care, healthy eating and reduction of sugar.

It is commissioned by the NHS, in partnership with local authorities, and delivered by dentist provider At Home Dental.

Reena Patel, South West Consultant in Dental Public Health at NHS England, said:

“Oral health is an integral part of children’s overall health and wellbeing, which affects their ability to learn, thrive and develop.

“Yet in the South West we still have very high rates of tooth decay, causing children pain, infections and difficulties with eating, sleeping, smiling and socialising, which can lead to significant school absence and parents taking time off work.

“The Big Brush Club is about supporting children and parents at an early stage to reduce sugar intake and create good habits at home that can last a lifetime.”

Almost a fifth of 5-year-olds in the South West have tooth decay despite it being largely preventable. Tooth extraction is also the most common reason for 6 -to 10-year-olds being admitted to hospital.

Supervised toothbrushing is recommended by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) as an evidence-based intervention to reduce dental decay in children.

An expert study concluded that every £1 spent on targeted supervised tooth brushing can after five years give a £3 return on investment and save 2,666 days of school absence for every 5,000 children.

Following a successful pilot in Devon, the Big Brush Club is now offered in schools across Gloucestershire, Banes, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

This goes hand in hand with all schools being required to promote healthy eating, including sugar reduction and drinking water.

Chief Operations Officer from At Home Dental, Hayley Beaumont, said:

“Our team of dental nurses work closely with teachers, pupils and parents to provide advice, support and training on promoting oral health.

“Each child is provided with a toothbrush and toothpaste pack to take home, encouraging toothbrushing to be a part of their normal daily routine.

“The children love doing it with their friends and the teachers report that it not only reduces problems with teeth but also school absence.”

Oral health is seen as a marker of wider health and social care inequalities including poor nutrition and obesity.  Rates of decay are much higher in children living in deprived areas, including in Bristol, Plymouth, Torbay and Sedgemoor in Somerset.

As a result, oral health is one of the key areas of CORE20PLUS5, a national NHS England initiative to reduce health inequalities in children and young people in the most deprived 20% of the population.

Prof. Maggie Rae, South West Deputy Public Health Director at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, said:

“The Big Brush Club is a fantastic example of forward-thinking, early intervention work that supports the government’s mission to improve the health of the nation.

The NHS in South West is absolutely committed to tackling the many unfair disparities of health outcomes across our society. From housing to transport to air quality and employment, there are many underlying conditions which affect the health of people in different groups and communities.

“That’s why we’re proud to be a “Marmot region”, in which all our health and care systems are signed up to the public health principles in Professor Sir Michael Marmot’s landmark review.”

In the South West, as across the country, there are severe pressures on NHS dentistry, including workforce shortages, high demand and a backlog of appointments. The NHS is developing a South West Dental Recovery Plan in line with the government’s plans to improve rebuild NHS dentistry.

For further information/interview requests contact england.swcomms@nhs.net

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