Teachers criticize Labour’s promise of supervised brushing

Labor has faced a backlash from teachers after its pledge to introduce supervised teeth cleaning in schools.

It comes after Labor leader Keir Starmer promised to tackle the NHS’s dental crisis with a plan that includes supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds. This would be targeted at areas with the highest childhood tooth decay.

But the teachers have stated that it would be an improper use of their time.

Paul Whiteman is the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. He said: “This week we have seen mobile phone guidance from the government and a new dental duty from the opposition. This is not the immediate response needed to solve growing crises in schools. We need to see greater ambitions in the short, medium and long term.

“We have serious reservations about how such a policy can work. It is not the role of teachers to make sure that children brush their teeth every day.

“Schools already play a role in teaching children about the importance of looking after their teeth through the curriculum, but there needs to be a limit to what we can expect them to do.

“We need to demand more than window dressing from all our politicians.”

“Takes time away from learning”

Dentistry asked a primary school teacher in Hertfordshire why they believe teachers would be against supervised tooth brushing. They said: ‘I think life skills are important and teaching children to brush their teeth is a good thing. We teach them all those kinds of life skills in meetings every week.

So we should educate them about brushing their teeth, but it shouldn’t be our job to check if they brush their teeth every day. It takes time away from learning and it’s something parents should be doing – but we know it doesn’t happen.’

Despite this, members of the dental profession have expressed support for the initiative. The Royal College of Surgeons of England said it ‘strongly’ supports supervised teeth cleaning in schools and nurseries and that the need for it is ‘urgent’.

In addition, the British Dental Association welcomed Labour’s pledges and stated that the pledges represent ‘a workable version of the failed policy put forward last year by the government.

Urgent need

Costing £111m a year in total and funded by scrapping the tax-free status, Labour’s plan also promises to:

• 700,000 extra emergency dental appointments and NHS dental contract reform
• Offer incentives for new dentists to work in areas of greatest need so that those who need an appointment can get one.
• Shift the focus to prevention so that in the long term, everyone who needs NHS dentistry can use it.

After the NHS dental plan was announced, Starmer said: “People are finding it impossible to get an NHS dentist when they need it, with dire consequences. Horror stories of DIY dentistry are all too common.

“My Labor Government will not stand for millions of people to be denied basic healthcare.”

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