Supervised toothbrushing in nurseries and schools can help to reduced absences, study shows

A supervised toothbrushing scheme in Scottish nurseries and schools is improving children’s oral health and could also be helping to keep them in class.

Research by dental experts at the University of Glasgow has found that the Childsmile Supervised Daily Toothbrushing Programme not only reduces tooth decay but may also cut the number of school absences linked to dental problems.

The evaluation, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, analysed population-level data from more than 260,000 children aged four to seven across Scotland. It found that children with tooth decay missed, on average, five more half-days of school each year than those with healthy teeth.

Those needing emergency dental treatment or a general anaesthetic for extractions missed six or more extra half-days.

Children living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas were almost twice as likely to have absences linked to poor oral health as their peers in the least deprived areas.

Professor David Conway, co-director of Childsmile at the University of Glasgow’s Dental School, said the findings showed the programme’s dual benefits for health and education.

“Supervised daily toothbrushing improves children’s teeth and can potentially reduce school absences – giving both health and education benefits,” he said. “It’s a credit to the collaboration between health and education teams, and to the nursery and school staff delivering it.”

Since its introduction in 2008, Childsmile has offered universal interventions such as supervised brushing and fluoride varnish application, alongside targeted support for children in deprived areas. Official figures show the proportion of Primary 1 pupils with no obvious tooth decay has risen from 58% in 2008 to 73% in 2023.

Public health minister Jenni Minto welcomed the study, calling Childsmile a “flagship” programme.

“We have led the way with child oral health through our continued investment in this programme,” she said. “It is delivering results for children and families across Scotland.”

Lead author Dr Mariel Goulart said the study – the first of its kind to link oral health and attendance using national data – underlined the need to integrate dental initiatives into broader public health and education policy.

The findings suggest that improving oral health could be an important step in tackling school absenteeism and reducing health inequalities in Scotland’s children.