A study to test the feasibility of distributing toothpaste and toothbrushes at school

Abstract

Objective To test the feasibility of a school based method of delivery of toothbrushes, toothpaste and tooth brushing instruction to first year primary school children.

Design Pre and post examinations of children's mouths, pre and post questionnaires to parents and a questionnaire to teachers at the end of the study.

Setting In five schools in a unitary authority in Lancashire, UK.

Method Examination of the mouth at school, using dental caries criteria used in the NHS national dental epidemiological programme and the Silness and Loe Plaque Index, and questionnaires distributed via school to parents and teachers.

Results One hundred and seven children were examined twice and parents returned 57 questionnaires. During the toothbrushing sessions many children said that they did not have a brush or paste. They enjoyed taking part and the examinations revealed that their mouths were cleaner after the study than they were at the beginning. The scheme was acceptable to parents and schools. All schools wished to carry on their involvement in the project. The cost of providing the scheme to 500 children in schools with the highest levels of tooth decay was estimated to be about £4350 per annum.

Conclusion A similar programme is worth considering in areas where the levels of tooth decay are known to be high.

Key words:

• dental caries
• oral health education
• plaque
• primary school children
• tooth brushing