Joe Wicks backs supervised toothbrushing scheme as six million brushes delivered

As the government’s supervised toothbrushing scheme reaches six million toothbrushes and toothpastes delivered one year in, Joe Wicks will front a new Brush With Us campaign to reinforce the scheme’s messaging.

The Brush With Us campaign has been developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to help families establish positive brushing habits and reinforce what children learn in supervised sessions.

Fitness coach, author and founder of The Body Coach, Joe Wicks said: ‘As a parent I know how busy family routines can be, but brushing for two minutes, twice a day is one small habit that can make a real difference to children’s health and confidence.

Children’s oral health is part of their wider wellbeing and building good habits early can help set children up for healthier futures.’

How will Joe Wicks benefit the supervised toothbrushing scheme?

The Brush With Us campaign has been ‘warmly welcomed’ by experts in the dental profession. Association of Dental Groups (ADG) executive chair Neil Carmichael said: ‘Initiatives such as Brush With Us are all steps to ensuring children get the help needed to adopt positive habits that prevent tooth decay. Oral health is fundamental to overall health and Joe Wicks MBE is the perfect ambassador to bring this message to life.’

Rachael Nichol, president of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, agreed that Wicks and his ‘positive, practical approach’ is ‘ideally suited to helping families find routines that work for them’. She continued: ‘Joe has inspired millions of families to make positive changes through simple, achievable everyday routines. His support offers a powerful opportunity to show that looking after children’s teeth is not separate from their wider health and wellbeing, but an essential part of it.’

The British Dental Association (BDA) described supervised brushing as a ‘winning formula’ – ‘a tried and tested policy, that saves the NHS more than it costs to deliver’. However, BDA chair Eddie Crouch warned that uptake had been low in certain areas and hoped that Joe Wicks could bring ‘new momentum’.

He said: ‘The government has made the right calls here, but needs to go further and faster to restore access to care, so our kids can get preventive help before problems become emergencies.’

In September, new NHS England data revealed that tooth extractions remain the most common reason for hospital admissions in five- to nine-year-olds. Eddie Crouch blamed a ‘lack of political will to fix NHS dentistry’ for the sobering figures.

Can children’s oral health still ‘turn a corner’?

Neil Carmichael highlighted the importance of addressing dentistry’s workforce crisis in improving children’s oral health. He added: ‘With a commitment from the government to address the workforce issues with increased numbers of international dentists qualifying through the Overseas Registration Examination and additional places at dental schools opening up, we hope to see children’s oral health turn a corner.’

Colgate-Palmolive has committed to donating more than 23 million products over five years to facilitate delivery of the supervised toothbrushing scheme.

Ricardo Cardenas, senior marketing director at Colgate-Palmolive, said: ‘The supervised brushing scheme is making a real impact in preventing tooth decay and ensuring brighter futures for new generations. We want all children, regardless of needs or circumstances, to be fully equipped with the education and tools they need to keep improving their oral health every day.’

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