£1.2 million extra funding to deliver BrightBites sessions
More than half a million children will learn about oral health through Dentaid the Dental Charity’s BrightBites programme.
An extra £1.2 million in funding will be put into the scheme thanks to significant investment from Simplyhealth, owner of Denplan. The aim is to help reduce hygiene poverty across the UK by visiting more than 9,000 children per month, many of those living in communities where children are at risk of social exclusion or living in poverty.
To mark the announcement, volunteers delivered BrightBites educational sessions to around 2,800 children across the Andover area in a single day on June 4th. Teams visited 14 primary schools in and around the town to teach children about toothbrushing and the importance of oral health.
With the latest data from In Kind Direct showing 1.1 million children in Great Britain are living in hygiene poverty, we feel it’s more important than ever that those living in deprived parts of the country are able to learn about keeping their teeth healthy in a fun, informative and friendly way.
More than 19,000 children aged five to nine were admitted to hospital in 2024 with tooth decay, according to Government data. Children in deprived areas were twice as likely to have decayed teeth as those in the most affluent areas.
Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid the Dental Charity, said:
“We’ve heard of teachers giving toothbrushes and toothpaste to their students and families where children don’t have toothbrushes of their own.
“We must do more to prevent tooth decay in children before it leads to irreversible problems. Education is often the best form of prevention, and our BrightBites programme looks to help instil lifelong good toothbrushing habits from a young age.”
Through BrightBites, we teach children in Reception to Year 6 classes about how to brush their teeth correctly, making healthy food choices and how to spot oral health issues.
Children also get free toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as worksheets, to put the knowledge they learn in BrightBites sessions into practice.
“There is an urgent need for dental support for children that suffer from hygiene poverty”, added Paul Schreier, CEO at Simplyhealth and Denplan.
“Through the provision of oral health education in schools, BrightBites can make a huge difference to children’s lives, helping to prevent needless suffering from leaving dental issues unaddressed.”