60,000 children receive oral health education

• All 60,000 children were also given their own toothbrush and toothpaste to take home and continue their positive oral health journey.

• With tooth decay the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged 6-10¹, and 15 million school days missed in 2023 due to dental problems², the BrightBites programme aims to help address the crisis in children’s oral health. 

  
  

6th February 2025

Leading dental payment plan provider Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, partnered with Dentaid The Dental Charity in late 2023 and has since donated £195,000 to expand the BrightBites oral health education programme and reach over 90,000 UK children.

Designed for school-aged children, BrightBites is a fun and engaging programme that covers toothbrushing, teeth names and functions, sugar awareness, and the importance of regular dental appointments.

Now, thanks to the efforts of more than 360 volunteers, BrightBites sessions have been delivered to 60,000 children, many of whom are from low-income families. These sessions are taking place in schools, nurseries, and after-school clubs across the country.

To help children continue their positive oral health journey, at the end of a BrightBites session, each child is given a toothbrush and toothpaste to take back home. This is an important facet of the programme’s prevention aims, with some families unable to afford oral hygiene products and tooth decay remaining the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged 6-10¹.

Data published in Denplan’s 2024 Oral Health Survey revealed that half of parents haven’t taken their children to the dentist by the age of three, despite the official recommendation to take them as soon as their first milk teeth appear, typically at six months old. The research also found that parents welcomed programmes like BrightBites, with 86% agreeing that good oral health habits should be taught in childhood to improve health for life.

Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid, said: "Reaching 60,000 children with our BrightBites oral health education programme is a significant milestone in our mission to improve awareness about the importance of toothbrushing, healthy diets and visiting the dentist. BrightBites is specifically focused on providing these messages for children at highest risk of health inequalities and we’re very grateful to all the volunteers and oral health educators who go into their communities to deliver these fun and interactive sessions. 

Charlotte Cook, ESG Lead at Simplyhealth and Denplan, said: “We are proud to have reached this incredible milestone so early into 2025. At Simplyhealth and Denplan, we are committed to using our business as a force for good, and we are grateful for all those who have volunteered their time so far, but to help us on our mission to deliver vital education to children on the importance of oral health and reach a minimum of 90,000 children, we need more volunteers. As tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions for children, aged 6-10, we are also calling on more education settings to register to host a BrightBites session, so we can support the oral health of the next generation.”

No dental qualifications or expertise are required to volunteer for BrightBites, and all materials and training are provided. You can register your interest to volunteer here.

Notes to Editors:

1. According to Office for Health Improvement & Disparities

2. According to the Denplan Oral Healthcare Report 2023