Award Winning Local Community Initiative
I am the proud recipient of the 2025 Private Dentistry Award for Charity or Community Project (South), recognising my independent work in raising awareness about the impact of sugar consumption on overall and dental health. My initiative focuses on helping parents and guardians understand how sugar affects children’s wellbeing, and how to reduce sugar intake through education and awareness.
There is currently strong attention on school-based toothbrushing initiatives, now supported by the Government, dental companies, and the Oral Health Foundation. However, far less emphasis is placed on empowering parents directly. As a new parent myself, I have observed that most early conversations around oral health are held with non-dentally trained health visitors, which highlights the need for greater parental support and accessible guidance.
Background & Passion
Almost a third of children under five years old in England are suffering from dental decay, with many regional inequalities, especially between the north and south of England.
It is the most common reason for hospitalisation in children aged five to nine years old, with many children having multiple teeth removed under general anaesthesia and a global healthcare issue.
In my local borough of Tower Hamlets, East London, a socially and economically deprived area with a marked South Asian community, cultural inequalities also play a part, with children from ethnic backgrounds having more decay. In the last oral health survey, 35% of children had decay in the borough.
Dental diseases, such as tooth decay, are largely preventable, with education as the key to prevention.
I have always had a strong connection with primary schools and nurseries, making annual visits during National Smile Month to visit nurseries and Year 2 children. However, by the time children are established in the school system it can be too late to intervene, and children can already have decay.
The Initiative
The initiative was developed from a blog I write for a private chain of nurseries. They included my blog on their app portal. It included information on tooth eruption and the development of deciduous teeth alongside oral hygiene tips. The nursery staff found it very helpful as they had looked after children in dental pain.
The Crisis
- All regions have children with decay
- In Tower Hamlets, it’s 35% of children
- Teeth help us to eat, provide facial shape, and a beautiful smile and help us talk
- Tooth decay (holes or needing a filling), occurs when bacteria release acids that soften the outside part of the tooth (the part you can see when you look at your teeth)
- Sugar fuels the acid so it is important in its prevention
- It is thought that 90% of tooth decay is preventable.
- Tooth decay causes pain, stress, and traumatic experiences.
- Missing days of school.
- Within some schools in Tower Hamlets, the uptake of topical fluoride application provided by community dental services is low. This is because most topical fluoride varnishes contain alcohol, which is forbidden for Muslims to consume.
- The Shariah Council has classed it as a medicament as it is too low to cause intoxication, but this message needs to be relayed and encouraged to parents and guardians.
Developed - “Your Child’s Oral Health”
- An audio-visual webinar to view at ease
- Video Presentation aimed towards parents / guardians
- Delivered in different languages, a phased approach
- Aimed at primary schools in Tower Hamlets, a London borough
If you are a dental professional, dental organisation, or charitable foundation interested in bringing this initiative to your community, please get in touch to explore collaboration.
