TEETH TEAM FAQS

It’s a supervised tooth brushing programme aimed at primary school children.

Children brush on a daily basis at an arranged, suitable time at school. We also provide dental assessments and fluoride varnish applications at the school every year; sometimes every six months.

Prevention! It’s extra help to try and prevent tooth decay and will hopefully lower the number of fillings or extractions needed by children.

The racks are cleaned daily with disinfectant wipes – in the majority of schools it is a job that the teaching assistant takes responsibility for. Once a week the racks are deep cleaned by immersing in hot soapy water.

The brushes are easily identified by a sticker system. Their brush has a sticker on it and the hole in the rack for their brush has the same sticker on it. The teaching assistant usually helps the children too.

Definitely, we have lots of positive feedback from the children. The great thing is they understand why it’s necessary too, which is very rewarding.

• Dry brushing is carried out in the schools. This means a minimal amount of toothpaste is used with a dry tooth brush – this stops froth and mess.
• A timer is played and the children brush for 2 minutes, aided by the teacher and the teaching assistant.
• When finished, mouths are wiped with disposable paper towels.
• Children do not rinse out after brushing as this lessens the effect of the fluoride.
• Ideally, the “no rinse- dry brushing” technique should be carried out at home too.