Rosie Winterton

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TACKLING KIDS TOOTH DECAY

A scheme to encourage families with young children in disadvantaged areas to get into the habit of brushing their children's teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste was launched yesterday by Health Minster Rosie Winterton and MP for Doncaster Central at the Appleby health centre in Newham - an area with one of the highest oral health needs in the country.

The Brushing for Life initiative will see health visitors and health care professionals with appropriate training distribute free 'Brushing for Life' packs containing a Colgate toothpaste, toothbrush and a leaflet on oral hygiene to families with young children when they are visiting their local health centre. The staff also give advice to the parents on the care of their child's teeth, ensuring that oral health is part of general health promotion.

Launching the Brushing for Life initiative, Rosie Winterton said;

“Thanks  to  the introduction of fluoride toothpaste and better oral health education,  there  have  been  major  improvements in oral health. However, behaviour we learn as children on diet and dental hygiene lasts all our lives.  That is why it is so important that children learn to look after their teeth well when they are young. Learning the importance of brushing your teeth well when you are young means you are less likely to suffer from bad oral health when you are  older, and  that is what these kits are designed to do."