Luton Borough Council

28/11/2023 - Foxdell Primary School hold the first supervised tooth brushing session in Luton with new public health initiative

Luton Council, working in partnership with the Dental Wellness Trust, have been busy setting up a new initiative in Luton primary schools: supervised tooth brushing!

Foxdell Primary School were the first to sign up to the initiative and held their first session on Tuesday 14 November. The Dallow Ward of Luton, where the school is located, is one of the worst in the town when it comes to health and wellness, so this initiative is much needed to ensure the local children know how best to take care of their teeth.

On the day, the school was also open to families for a free dental pop-up clinic, provided by Obex Dental, where children and parents came to learn about oral hygiene and about the importance of diet for good oral health.

Nishat Dewji, Head of Year R at Foxdell Primary School, said: “The children enjoyed the dental pop up clinic. They liked learning about how much sugar was in their drinks. There were some surprises too! They liked learning about brushing their teeth and meeting the cuddly crocodile. The children enjoyed having their teeth checked by a real dentist!”

The supervised tooth brushing programme is an evidence-based programme, where children brush their teeth during the school day. Luton Council’s public health team have commissioned Dental Wellness Trust (DWT) to deliver this in all primary schools’ Early Years foundation units. DWT have trained all staff on how to execute the programme and were in attendance on the 14th to observe the session as it takes place in the school. At Foxdell Primary, around 90 children are participating in supervised tooth brushing every day at school.

Councillor Khtija Malik, Executive Portfolio Holder for Public Health, said: “Ensuring children are keeping up with their dental hygiene can sometimes be a big challenge for parents, particularly in more deprived areas where parents, understandably, often have other priorities. Implementing supervised tooth brushing in schools is so important, as it allows children who may not know a lot of oral health to learn in a safe and judgement-free environment, as well as take some pressure off of parents.

“More than 50% of primary schools in Luton have now signed up to the supervised tooth brushing programme, which is fantastic, however it would be great to make this a Luton-wide initiative with all Early Years units taking part. Tackling dental hygiene issues in Luton is one of our priorities and will help us reach our 2040 goal of being a healthy, fair and sustainable town.”

Mrs Rohila Nisar, Foxdell Primary School head teacher, said: “Thank you to Neila and her team and to Gabi for the engaging sessions and for making oral hygiene a fun topic for our children! The sessions were interactive and children enjoyed learning about oral health. Tooth brushing has become a fun part of our school day!”