Public Health Isle of Man says its committed to improving oral health outcomes for children through evidence-based, cost-effective interventions.
The recent Children’s Oral Health Report highlighted key findings from the latest dental health survey and oral health questionnaire.
The Smile of Mann programme includes supervised toothbrushing in early years settings, and in the past 12 months has been expanded to include primary schools and Specialist Provision Centres.
The programme has demonstrated the benefit and scalability of oral health promotion in these environments.
Plans are now in place to further enhance the programme by offering fluoride varnish applications for all primary school children.
Evidence from similar programmes in the UK highlights the potential of these measures.
Children’s Oral Health
Childsmile, based in Scotland, incorporates both supervised toothbrushing and fluoride varnish, alongside advice from health visitors.
This has shown a 62% reduction in the delivery of fillings, lowering treatment needs and demonstrating cost-effectiveness.
For the Isle of Man, this could prevent approximately 130 children going on to develop tooth decay every year, reducing the burden on families and health services.
The programme will also reduce the number of children needing a general anaesthetic for the removal of decayed teeth.
The dental health questionnaire and survey, conducted in winter 2023 and spring 2024 respectively, offer practical insights into the state of children’s oral health in the Island.
Results indicate that 26.6% of surveyed five-year-olds have experience of poor oral health in the form of decayed, missing, or filled teeth – higher than the England average of 23.7%.
Read and download information on oral health initiatives and tips for keeping teeth healthy which is on the Oral Health webpage.
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