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Welcome to Brighter Smiles, Cornwall’s oral health programme

Help us make a difference to the oral health of children in your local community

The shocking facts

Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged between 6 and 10 years. See the BBC’s powerful film about access to NHS dentistry in Cornwall and what we’re doing as a B Corp certified dental social enterprise to reach those in our communities who need us most.

Did you know?

83%

increase in the number of caries-related tooth extractions in hospital for 0 to 19 year olds compared to the previous year 2020/21

36%

of children do not see an NHS dentist each year and on average 3 days of school are missed due to dental problems

25%

of children have tooth decay with 3-4 teeth affected which is a fifth of the total number of teeth a child has

102

children every day have teeth removed in hospital due to decay, yet this is preventable

5

The average 5 year old consumes their own body weight in sugar each year

9/10

hospital tooth extractions among children aged 0 – 5 years are due to preventable decay

What we do

Brighter Smiles is delivered by trained clinicians and oral health educators making a difference to children and their families in some of the most deprived areas of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Get involved

Help us to address this tooth decay crisis

Schools, Nurseries & Family Hubs

Our campaign is dedicated to making a difference in Cornish communities. Working together with Cornwall Council’s Public Health Team, local businesses and individuals we go into schools providing fun and educational oral health education, tooth brushing clubs and fluoride varnishing. See how your community could benefit.

Supporters

We simply can’t achieve all that we do without the generosity of our supporters as this type of work is not currently funded by the NHS in Cornwall. Our campaign therefore provides a range of mutually beneficial opportunities for supporters to make a real difference in their local community. Help us improve the oral health of more Cornish children by becoming a supporter.

Our supporters

We simply can’t achieve all that we do without the generosity of our supporters – our grateful thanks to the following:

WHERE WE GO

Cornish primary schools, nurseries & family hubs engaged in our  Brighter Smiles programme

What parents & teachers say about Brighter Smiles

“Thank you for coming, Dylan (and Jo!). You really helped us understand about how important it is to look after our teeth.”

Teacher at Mount Hawke Academy

“Brighter smiles are professional, friendly and engaging. The children look forward to the sessions provided.”

Teacher at St Martin’s C of E

“Thank you Brighter Smiles, the children have found out so much information today and were so excited to receive their goody bags!! Thanks!”

Teacher at Indian Queens School

Register to keep in touch

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