Some oral health promotion resources we have found useful for parents, adults with special needs and their carers, and professionals.
Healthy teeth tips for your child:
- Brush your child’s teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste containing no less than 1000ppm fluoride. Brushing should be supervised by a parent or carer.
- The best times to brush teeth are last thing at night and in the morning.
- Spit out after brushing – do not rinse with water
- Try to avoid sugary or fizzy drinks. Plain milk and water are the best drinks for teeth.
- Try to limit the amount of sugary foods offered to your child. Choose healthier snacks such as fresh fruit.
- Visit a dentist for a dental check by age one or when the first tooth erupts.
- Choose sugar free medicines where possible.
Watch
TV doctor and Strictly Come Dancing star Dr Ranj is working to get UK kids brushing their teeth – strictly correctly.
YouTube playlist of all three videos
YouTube individual videos:
Dr Ranj has also made a YouTube video about taking your baby to the dentist before their first birthday, recommended by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry
HENRY is a charity that provides support for the entire family to make positive lifestyle changes which starts with the early years. They have created this Growing up with healthy teeth | HENRY video, which provides information and interviews with parents and their experience on all aspects of oral health care.
Read
For your baby’s teeth - Looking after your baby's teeth is available on the NHS.uk website.
For all children, read this guide from the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry: A practical guide to childrens teeth (bspd.co.uk).
Find easy ways to eat well and move more at the Change for Life website. Get access to healthy recipes, learn about nutrition and discover clever lunch box swaps.
Download apps
Brush DJ - A free, multi-award winning App with a 2-minute timer to your child’s favourite music to make brushing fun and engaging!
Foodscanner - This Change for Life App brings food labels to life and helps you make healthier choices.
Brushing and maintaining your child’s oral health care needs can be challenging if your child has special needs; below are some resources and helpful tips to manage these needs more easily.
A very useful booklet produced by Manchester Primary Care Trust gives advice and information for parents and carers of children with special needs.
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry also offers additional resources for parents of children with autism.
Before your child’s first dental visit:
- Make sure the practice staff know in advance that your child has special needs.
- Try to arrange quick “hello” visits beforehand so that your child can get used to the journey to the surgery, to the environment and the people there.
- Ask to take photos to make a picture story of the dental appointment and what will happen.
- Ask for a visit at the beginning of the day when the waiting room is quiet and your child will not have to wait long before being seen.
- Take anything with you which helps your child feel less anxious eg. toys, iPad, blankets.
- Visit a dentist for a dental check by age one or when the first tooth erupts.
- Ask your practice for a dentist with a special interest in children with special needs.
Many disability organisations and other groups have web-based information on oral and dental care.
The British Society for Disability and Oral Health has collected some resources for people with special needs and their carers:
Oral health resources (bsdh.org)
“Oral care and people with learning disabilities” has been produced by Public Health England as guidance for dental teams and family carers and paid supporters that help someone with their daily oral care and in accessing dental service. The resource section provides further links to additional advice, including easy read and accessible information and resources.
Oral care and people with learning disabilities (www.gov.uk)
Dental care for people with special needs | Oral Health Foundation (dentalhealth.org) for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Oral health leaflet (scot.nhs.uk) provides guidelines to help maintain a good standard of oral hygiene.
The National Autistic Society has produced a resource page for oral health: Dentists (autism.org.uk)
“Delivering Better Oral Health” is an evidenced based toolkit to support dental teams in improving their patient’s general and oral health. The following summary guidance gives the key recommendations including advice to parents, carers and patients:
This guide is part of Gov.uk ‘All Our Health’, a resource which helps health and care professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. The information below will help front-line health and care staff use their trusted relationships with patients, families and communities to promote the benefits of good oral health for children.
This Gov.uk resource outlines how health professionals can help prevent tooth decay in children under 5:
Health visitors
Health visitors have an important role in providing advice and support as part of the healthy child programme. The Institute of Health Visiting has an Oral Health resource page.
Health Visitor’s “Good Practice Points for oral health for babies and children”:
e-Learning:
Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has created two oral healthcare learning modules:
- Child oral health e-learning training programme for staff and parents: Children’s oral health advice
- This module is aimed at both health and care professionals as well as parents. It provides an overview of child oral health – including cause and consequence of tooth decay, preventing decay through diet, and basic management of an avulsed tooth.
- Health and care professionals training programme: All Our Health: Child oral health
- This module directed at health and care professionals shares key evidence, data and signposting to trusted resources to help prevent illness, protect health and promote wellbeing.
Health Education England has worked in partnership with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) to develop an interactive townscape on child oral health within the All our health elearning programme.
The townscape takes a place-based approach and features an animated town where health and social care professionals can click on various buildings, such as the town hall, dental surgery and school, to access information and evidence-based resources to inform action to address the poor oral health of the children they come into contact with.
The townscape also signposts the learner to other sources of support such as the NHS website, NHS Start for Life, HENRY’s videos and Change 4 Life top tips for teeth.
Find out about promoting oral health as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and why oral health is included in the EYFS framework.
It is important for teachers to incorporate good oral hygiene and diet practices to promote oral and general health. These lessons can include presentations as well as hands on learning. The following school based oral health programmes can be used to teach children more about their teeth, how to clean them and the effect of sugar on their teeth.
Lesson plans
- Public Health England’s School Zone Healthy Eating programme (Healthy eating - PHE School Zone) – this resource includes dental lesson plans, activities, recipes, and take home packets for all primary school pupils. The teaching resources are all free to download from the School Zone.
- The Oral Health Foundation has created Dental Buddy (DentalBuddy.org) – sign up and get presentations, lesson plans and activity ideas for Early Years, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two
- Oral hygiene (e-bug.eu)
Books
- Tusk Trouble by Jane Clarke and Cecilia Johansson
- Maisy, Charley and the Wobbly Tooth by Lucy Cousins
- My wobbly tooth must never fall out by Lauren Child
- Open wide…What’s inside? by Alex and Helen Rushworth
Games
This dental version of snakes and ladders has been adapted from "Toothbrushes and Rock" – a children’s game featured in the book, "Practical Dental Health Education".
Public Health England have produced an oral health toolkit for adults in care homes which includes training materials, templates and links to further resources and publications. There are also links to oral health information for care home residents and their families, friends and carers.
Additional resources can be found at the Mouth Care Matters resource page.
Or via the British Society for Disability and Oral Health which offers guidance based on the resident’s specific disability: Oral health resources (bsdh.org).
Watch
We have made this Oral health training video which will support care home staff to:
- Perform an oral health assessment
- Manage difficult patients
- Look for common oral pathology in older special needs adults such as dry mouth
- Care for dentures.
Health Education England have produced two YouTube videos for:
- Supporting patients in hospital who are resistant to mouth care.
- Carrying out mouth care at the end of life
Local NHS dentists can be found on the NHS website.
Referrals into Kent CHFT (including North East London) Paediatric and Adult Special Dental Care Service:
We offer a referral only dental care service for adults or children who would not be able to accept dental care from a high street NHS dentist.
Parents cannot self-refer unless their child attends a special needs school.
For all other referrals, any health, educational, or social services professional can make the referral.
Please be advised that a referral may not be accepted if the patient is assessed as being able to obtain dental care from a high street NHS dentist. Normal NHS fees and exemptions apply.
To refer into the Kent Paediatric and Adult Special Dental Care Service:
Please contact our Referral Management Centre if you have any further questions on 0330 1239 438 or email us: kcht.communitydentalservice@nhs.net.
To refer into the North East London Paediatric and Adult Special Dental Care Service:
Please contact our Referral Management Centre if you have any further questions on 0330 1239 438 or email us: kcht.communitydentalservice@nhs.net.
Domiciliary dental care
Domiciliary dental care is available for patients who cannot reach an NHS Dental Care Service. Patients, carers or care homes can make this referral. Decisions on which treatment option is most appropriate will be made after consultation at an assessment appointment. Please fill out a Dental Service Domiciliary referral form.
Please contact our Referral Management Centre if you have any further questions on 0330 1239 438 or email us: kcht.communitydentalservice@nhs.net.