life is being realised and its success can be duplicated elsewhere .
DP : What is the outwardly visible sign of the national SMILE4LIFE programme ? SH : Our aim is not to detract from local “ ownership ” but I would hope that local schemes would consider adding a Smile4Life icon to their literature . This would demonstrate affinity with the national programme , recognise local contribution to the national oral health ambition and offer confidence that the local project conforms to the standards of Delivering Better Oral Health . We are still working with PHE to develop and agree a design but I envisage a SMILE4LIFE kite mark . This would tie in with the PHE Change4Life programme .
DP : Will you be taking SMILE4LIFE into schools and nurseries ? SH : The success of nursery and school tooth brushing schemes is fully recognised and we will be encouraging Local Government Authorities to implement School Schemes . There are toolkits and “ how to guides ” available through PHE ; all it takes is local ambition . We would also hope to see innovative commissioning from NHS E regional commissioners to support these initiatives , perhaps aligning a dental practice to each participating school and funding an Oral Health Champion . I would expect support to be in conjunction with Local Dental Networks , with Dental Care Professionals or Dental Foundation Trainees taking on responsibility for delivering the programme . There is already an excellent model delivered by Teeth Team , based in Hull ( see p15 ), who have been successfully running a fluoride varnish and tooth brush programme in primary schools and their model could be readily translated to most localities .
DP : Is SMILE4LIFE just about young people ? SH : No , this is just phase one . Once we have the programme in place for children and young people , we will then be turning our attention to the other end of their life . Mouth care is sadly neglected in many patients admitted to hospitals , especially in elderly care wards . This lost opportunity for improving quality of care is contributing to extended hospital stays for vulnerable patients and , above all , compromises the compassion and dignity of valued patients . However , some good work is already in place and we will be building on this over time .
There is much to be done and hopefully with a national identity coupled with a better understanding of the need for putting the mouth back into the body , we can exploit every opportunity to improve oral health … at this stage everyone deserves the right to SMILE4LIFE – let ’ s make every contact count
DP : Sara Hurley , thank you for your time .
IMPROVING ORAL AND GENERAL HEALTH – SOME CASE STUDIES
In the interview above , an illustration of just how successful the work has been in Cumbria and Lancashire where by September 2016 :
• 397 Oral Health Champions ( setting-based staff ) had been trained to support the implementation of the programme
• 70 Dental Nurses trained to support prevention
• 123 Children Centres and 264 early years settings are implementing the programme reaching in excess of 130,000 0-5 year olds and their family members
• 1142 awards have been achieved of which …
• 271 settings have achieved all four awards
• 21,700 toothpaste packs delivered
•
• 284 children in Barrow Brushing Scheme
This is not the only area of the country where similar programmes are in existence :
Leicester is the largest city in the East Midlands with a population of 350,000 , one-third of whom are under 24 . The city has a unique diversity and yet is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the UK . Children in Leicester suffer from some of the worst dental history . Among 5-year olds , three in Leicester compared with one nationally are showing evidence of dental decay . Oral health is very much a neglected area .
An Oral Health Promotion Partnership Board was set up , led by the Council but with the support of local businesses and a total of £ 531,000 was raised and ring-fenced .
In another initiative aimed at improving oral and general health , Colgate has launched the Colgate Bright Smiles , Bright Futures 2016 CPD programme . Focused on children and community engagement , through the Bright Smiles , Bright Futures programme , your practice can get involved and ����e��e �he ���l he�l�h �f �he local population through evidencebased advice and guidance . Engagement can be via a range of settings such as primary schools , nursery , Brownies , Cubs , local sports teams , or any other community group involving children . A spokesman for Colgate said “ The �e�efi�� �f ��������� spirit can be clearly seen . In addition , having the opportunity for your practice to participate in a community-based activity is also a great way of promoting your practice ”.
14 Dental Practice Magazine