Maintaining good oral health has a significant impact on overall health and quality of life, while poor oral health means people often cannot participate fully in society due to pain, poor nutrition and loss of confidence. In England, tooth decay is still the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between six and ten years. However, it can impact on individuals of all ages.
Nottingham City Council is working with Community Dental Services CIC (CDS) to launch a new oral health improvement service. The Nottingham City Oral Health Improvement Team will focus on improving oral health and reducing health inequalities across the city.
The team will deliver the oral health programmes, based on local need, working with partners to target where they can have the greatest impact, including:
- supervised tooth brushing programmes in schools and early years settings;
- delivering training to health / non health professionals for both child related and vulnerable adult / older people services;
- supporting care homes to implement NICE and CQC guidelines;
- distributing Oral Health resources.
Helen Paisley, Chief Executive, is delighted at the opportunity to deliver a new oral health improvement service for Nottingham City: “Maintaining good oral health is so important to overall health and wellbeing and quality of life. We are really looking forward to promoting positive oral health messages directly to children through supervised toothbrushing and to people working in care who support groups such as vulnerable elderly in care homes and people with complex needs. The opportunity to work in Nottingham City compliments the work of our Nottinghamshire County oral health team and our Nottinghamshire clinical community dental service teams and will really allow us to reach right into the heart of communities across Nottingham.
“Our oral health teams have great experience in building partnerships and working through established networks to make lasting improvements in oral health where it is needed most, and we are really looking forward to working here in Nottingham.”
Councillor Linda Woodings, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Nottingham City Council, said: “The health of our teeth is important for all of us as it affects what we eat, how we communicate, our self-confidence and can support older people to stay independent for longer. Tooth decay and poor oral health remain a serious issue and one that is not distributed evenly across society. It can have a negative impact throughout life including missed days at school or work.
“Taking preventative action to reduce the risks of decay is really important and this new service will play a significant role in protecting and promoting good oral health amongst Nottingham City residents.”
To find out more about the service or to book supervised toothbrushing programmes for your setting, visit: https://www.communitydentalservices.co.uk/oral-health-improvement/ nottinghamshire-oral-health-page/nottingham-city
