To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve the oral health of children.
Answered on
12 December 2018
In England, local authorities (LAS) are responsible for assessing oral health needs and improving the oral health of their local population.
Improving the oral health of children in England is an ongoing Public Health England (PHE) priority. PHE’s Children’s Oral Health Improvement Programme Board (COHIPB) brings together over 20 stakeholder organisations that have key leadership roles for children and young people. As part of the work of COHIPB, PHE has produced resources which contribute to improving and reducing inequalities in oral health, including local authority area trends in the oral health of five-year-olds and information on programmes currently commissioned by LAs to improve oral health in children. These documents can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oral-health-of-5-year-old-children-in-local-authorities
The Government’s childhood obesity plan sets out measures that will reduce the amount of sugar children consume, which will have a positive effect on improving children’s oral health.
In 13 high priority areas, NHS England has launched ‘Starting Well: A Smile4Life Initiative’. This programme of dental practice-based initiatives aims to reduce oral health inequalities and improve oral health in children under the age of five years.