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The Supervised
Toothbrushing Toolkit

Supporting supervised toothbrushing programmes to reduce tooth decay in young children

Supervised toothbrushing programmes supplement home-based toothbrushing undertaken by parents and carers. In early-years settings (schools, nurseries or childminders) children brush their own teeth with fluoride toothpaste, with the activity overseen by early-years staff. 

The government has committed £11 million to support supervised toothbrushing programmes for children aged 3-5 years old living in the most deprived areas of England. Additionally, Colgate will provide 23 million toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste over 5 years for both the supervised toothbrushing programme and at-home brushing. 

 

The BRUSH project has undertaken research with a variety of stakeholders to learn how to best optimise their implementation across England and used this knowledge to develop this toolkit.


This toolkit serves as a central hub of information and resources to help support the implementation of supervised toothbrushing programmes.

Toolkit

About

Supervised Toothbrushing programmes are the focus of the BRUSH project. Here we explain what they are, their impact on oral health, their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, and the geographical spread of programmes across England.

supervised toothbrushing club

Commissioners

For those commissioning a Supervised Toothbrushing programme, here we outline the activities and considerations involved.

Commissioners

Interactive Maps of Supervised Toothbrushing

Take a look at the different areas that take part in Supervised Toothbrushing Programmes across England

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Early Years

Resources to support the activities and considerations involved in delivering Supervised Toothbrushing in nursery, school and childminding settings.

children brushing their teeth

Families

For parents: how Supervised Toothbrushing works in early years settings, plus tips to encourage toothbrushing at home.

parental supervision

Providers

Resources to support providers with the activities and considerations involved in delivering a Supervised Toothbrushing programme.

Children's Dentist/Oral providers

"This is an excellent resource, comprehensive and easily accessible to all stakeholders. It will reduce duplication of work and improve the quality and consistency of Supervised Toothbrushing programmes across the country."
Consultant in dental public health.

NIHR ARC
NIHR ARC
University of Sheffield
University of Leeds

© 2024 BRUSH Toolkit, University of Leeds.

Original BRUSH resources are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Share and adapt with credit. Third-party resources are used with permission.

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