In Wiltshire, young children are tackling tooth decay head-on as schools and nurseries team up for a new dental health push. Supported by Wiltshire Council, this initiative is arming kids with toothbrushes to fight a rising oral health challenge.
Kicking off during National Children’s Dental Health Month this February, the Big Brush Club—a supervised toothbrushing program—is rolling out across Wiltshire’s early years settings. Commissioned by NHS England and run by At Home Dental, a mobile dental service, the scheme targets three- to five-year-olds, encouraging daily brushing in classrooms. It’s part of a two-year South West campaign reaching over 50,000 kids, aiming to instil lifelong dental habits.
Wiltshire Council’s public health team is collaborating with the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board to drive the effort. So far, 76 nurseries and schools in the county are on board, supporting the council’s goal of boosting public health through early action and prevention.
The need is clear: hospital admissions for tooth extractions among Wiltshire’s five- to nine-year-olds are over 70% above the England and South West average. Tooth decay, affecting one in four young kids, can often be avoided with regular fluoride toothpaste use. The program ensures daily brushing at school or nursery, a proven way to cut decay rates.
Focusing on the county’s most deprived areas, the initiative aligns with At Home Dental’s mission to improve dental care access. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are nearly three and a half times more likely to need hospital extractions—procedures that disrupt families, cause missed school, carry anaesthetic risks, and strain NHS budgets.
Kate Blackburn, Wiltshire’s director of public health, said: “Tooth decay can hurt kids’ ability to sleep, eat, talk, play, and connect with others, holding them back from thriving. Yet it’s mostly preventable. That’s why teaching these habits early is key—it encourages brushing at home and sets up lifelong oral health benefits. Over 3,500 kids are already involved, and it’s fantastic to see schools and nurseries embracing this. The program gives every child a fair shot at healthy teeth.”
Participating settings get full training, toothbrushes, fluoride toothpaste, and holders to make classroom brushing sessions smooth and effective.
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