The blog entry was originally posted on the British Dental Health Foundation Blog Section
Hello, and welcome to April’s Word of Mouth.
As spring finally crops up and an extra hour lost, it can only mean that National Smile Month is almost upon us. It’s an opportunity for all of us to improve oral health, and we feature some statistics to highlight why the campaign is still an important springboard for bettering oral health.
Children’s oral health is always a hot topic and a barometer of success, and we respond to the latest Children’s Dental Health Survey. While there have been improvements in many areas, too many still lag behind. Ben Atkins discusses how we can help to turn those figures around.
Following on from the survey, the British Society of Dental Hygiene & Therapy have announced First Smiles, a campaign dedicated to improving, well, first smiles. With children set to benefit from their expertise nationwide, President Michaela ONeill explains how the campaign will go about making those changes.
This issue also sees ASH – one of the leading charities that campaigns and works to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco – discuss the current situation regarding e-cigarettes. With new legislation set to be introduced limiting their availability, Chief Executive Deborah Arnott has her say on e-cigs.
On 1 April new NHS dental charges were introduced, and our infographic gives you the latest prices and what treatments are covered.
Lorna Grazette may be approaching the final months of her term as trustee of the British Dental Health Foundation, but her enthusiasm remains as vibrant now as it was four years ago. We talk to Lorna in our regular feature Two Minutes Twice a Day on what it’s like being a trustee – and more.
Enjoy the issue and we will see you in National Smile Month.
Oral Health Foundation
The Oral Health Foundation is a charity that works to improve oral health by providing education, advice, and support to millions of people every year, changing lives for the better. Our mission is to support others in achieving a healthier life through better oral health. Our vision is to live in a world where everybody has a healthy mouth and is free of dental disease. Poor oral health can have a harmful and devastating effect on a person’s life – both for their physical health and mental wellbeing. We are determined to help more people achieve good oral health and have a better quality of life. Sadly, oral disease remains common, across the life course. We are taking the challenge to reduce the harm caused by poor oral health and the responsibility to create a healthier future for everybody. We do this because we believe that everybody deserves to have good oral health. To make sure this happens, by 2024, we will:
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• Work towards decreasing the prevalence of oral disease across communities.
• Increase the number of people accessing our help and information services.
• Diversify our range of resources to reach more communities.
• Successfully campaign for policies which help people achieve healthier lives.
• Generate new and nurture existing income streams that enable us to deliver our charitable objectives.
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• Running awareness campaigns like National Smile Month and Mouth Cancer Action Month.
• Giving anybody who needs it direct support through our Dental Helpline.
• Influencing policy on subjects like dental access, sugar, and tobacco.
• Providing consumer advice on oral health care products and working alongside manufacturers to make sure products do what they claim to do.
• Creating resources and information that communicates positive oral health messages.
• Working alongside others who share our passion for health and wellbeing.
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