Teachers vs. parents in shaping oral health

Labour’s party conference earlier this month heralded a range of new policy announcements from the opposition. Keir Starmer pledged £111 million a year to solve the “dental crisis”, putting the responsibility squarely on early years settings to teach oral hygiene and supervise teeth brushing in the classroom.

The crisis in oral health in this country is real - nearly a quarter of 5-year-olds have experienced tooth decay, based on the latest figures from the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care. The British Dental Association has modelled that supervised brushing could pay for itself, with £3.06 saved for every £1 spent in the medium term. We know that prevention works. But headteachers, quite rightly, are pushing back with serious and legitimate questions about capacity within the school day and whether it’s appropriate for teachers to be supervising teeth brushing at all.

With oral hygiene already included in the national curriculum, there is still a need to help children build positive teeth-brushing habits, but the best environment to do this is likely at home. A strong evidence base shows the importance of the home environment and positive parent-child interactions and routines in shaping positive habits, behaviours, and skills in young children. The central challenge is how to effectively engage parents as positive change agents.

We know that positive parent-child interactions during everyday moments like teeth brushing, bath time, getting dressed in the morning, or getting ready for bed at night can be the rocket fuel of child development. The more pressures that parents face - whether from work, relationships, finances, or mental health - the harder it can be to create and sustain the positive interactions and home environments that can really help children thrive.
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EasyPeasy’s app-based programme for parents with children from 0-5 years old effectively inspires these positive interactions by helping parents discover activity ideas, guidance, and advice to transform challenging moments into positive interactions. EasyPeasy’s advanced algorithms recommend the right ideas personalised for each parent, and all of the content is evidence-based and quality approved too. Sharing engaging, accessible, and bitesize content via mobile helps reach and engage diverse and inclusive target audiences that can be harder to reach through face-to-face routes and physical settings.

One of the key ‘everyday moments’ included in the EasyPeasy programme is teeth brushing. Parents have access to interactive activities and tips shared by our community of parents and experts that make teeth brushing a fun experience for children, helping them form regular habits that they look forward to each day.

EasyPeasy activity: I can see the nasties

In this activity, parents will ask their child to open their mouth and say “I’m going to check for any nasties!” The parent will give their child a toothbrush and ask them to brush the nasties away. As the child brushes their teeth, the parent would be “searching for nasties” while they check to see where the child isn’t brushing and direct their child to clean out the nasties in specific areas. “There’s one behind your front teeth!” When they’re done, the parent will check their child’s mouth to make sure their teeth are all clean. Such a fantastic simple idea that has been effective for many parents. 

EasyPeasy activity: Brush your body

‍Removing the stress from everyday moments is a great way to make them more manageable. For example, 'brush your body' helps put your child at ease before brushing starts. In this activity, after letting your child know that it’s time to brush their teeth, pretend to scrub their ear, nose, or any other part of their body until they tell you to brush their teeth. Then, let your child show you where and how to brush their teeth themselves. It’s important to let your child guide the pace of the teeth brushing.

Simple activities like the examples above, when delivered at the right time and in an engaging format, can go a long way in inspiring, motivating, and informing parents about the tools they need to support their children’s development. EasyPeasy has now been delivered to over 200,000 households across England, and the majority of parents report using the app-based programme either ‘daily’ or ‘several times per week’.

Parents tell us:

• “We have 2 children (3 year old and 8 months old) and after only a few weeks of use we have picked up so many helpful tips. My 3 year old was getting difficult about brushing his teeth but after reading and implementing a few tips, it’s now so much easier.” - Parent App Store review
• “I often find myself looking for inspiration here on rainy days or if I am having trouble with a particular activity ie. Tooth brushing/bed time and always find something new to try!” Parent - Play Store review

Labour is right to highlight the crisis in oral health in our country and the benefits of intervening early to stop tooth decay before it starts. The evidence base is also clear that the solution is helping children develop good habits of teeth brushing. However there is a need for more innovative responses and delivery models that won’t heavily impact teachers’ already highly pressed time. EasyPeasy provides a home-based and cost-effective channel through which to reach and engage parents in helping to build the positive habits their children need to put them on a path towards a lifetime of good oral health, along with a range of other important early developmental skills.

Partner with EasyPeasy for your Local Authority area

Oral health improvement for children under 5, including the provision of digital resources, is a key Family Hubs service expectation. In our mission to support babies, children, families, and early years practitioners and carers nationwide to lay the foundations for a happy and healthy life, EasyPeasy is proud to partner with councils to enhance the development and delivery of integrated, local early years delivery plans and strategies. Find out more, download an EasyPeasy commissioning guide, and get in touch with us today!