A breakthrough for BRUSH

Tackling tooth decay in children by making toothbrushing in nurseries and schools easier- the BRUSH project

This project is working with a range of stakeholders to learn how best to implement supervised toothbrushing programmes, to increase their uptake and success in tackling tooth decay.

What we did?

• National surveys in 2022 and 2024 described which local authorities (LAs) and how many children are involved in supervised toothbrushing programmes.
• 159 qualitative interviews with commissioners, oral health promotion teams, early years teams, parents and children exploring the barriers and facilitators to implementing supervised toothbrushing programmes.
• Identified good practice to support setup and sustainability of supervised toothbrushing programmes. New resources were developed to address gaps and piloted with sites expanding their programmes.

Impact so far

• Analysis of 2024 surveys, shows increasing numbers of LAs and children taking part in supervised toothbrushing programmes.
• We have co-designed a toolkit which brings together resources to support the implementation of supervised toothbrushing programmes.
• This research is shaping national policy and helping LAs to increase the number of sites and children involved with supervised toothbrushing programmes with the aim to reduce the prevalence and severity of tooth decay

Learn more about the BRUSH Project here

Project delivered by NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber’s Healthy Families Theme