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Oral health: policy context

Overarching Scottish Government and NHSScotland health policy is currently governed by Better health, better care: Action plan 2007, which is centred on:

  • Early years and child health
  • Improving health and tackling health inequalities
  • Improving health service quality, defined by the domains patient-centred, effective, efficient, safe, timely, equitable.

There is a specific HEAT target for oral health that 80% of all 3-5-year-old children should be registered with an NHS dentist by 2010/11. NHS boards are also working towards the Scottish Government’s target that 60% of P1 and P7 children should have no obvious caries experience by 2010.

Childsmile is a programme to improve the dental health of children in Scotland and is split into three main elements:

  • Childsmile Core programme, which involves nursery and school toothbrushing schemes, and distributes free toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste in the first five years of life
  • Childsmile Practice programme, involving clinical prevention activities
  • Childsmile Nursery and School programmes, involving the application of fluoride varnish to nursery school children's teeth.