Children from Roe Green Primary School in Kingsbury, and nearby schools and private and voluntary nursery schools, are looking forward to free dental checks at an oral health bus today (12th July) and Wednesday (14th July).
The bus will be parked at the entrance of Eton Grove Open Space and will be accompanied by gazebos for further interaction with the Oral health Promotion, Weight Management and Family Wellbeing teams. Health professionals will talk to parents about any issues and refer children to nearby dentists if further attention is required.
Cllr Neil Nerva, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture and Leisure, said, “It is important we recognise and react appropriately to all of the challenges that COVID has thrown up and we know that during the last 18 months it has been really tricky for children to see a dentist.
“We want children who have never seen a dentist, or not seen one in over two years, to take this opportunity to get a free check-up. The oral health promotion team will be offering a free toothbrush and toothpaste and demonstrating the correct way to brush your teeth. We’ll also have health professionals on hand to give advice on healthy eating.”
Good oral health is integral to a child’s general health and well-being, and affects how children grow, enjoy life, look, speak, chew, taste food, and socialise. Pain, infection, and tooth loss can cause sleepless nights, poor concentration, time off from school, reduced nutrition and growth, and delays to speech development. Psycho-social wellbeing and self-esteem can also be affected by bad breath and the unsightly appearance of decayed or missing teeth.
Parents have been written to and advised of the process for booking their children in for an appointment, with careful arrangements around social distancing and interaction within COVID regulations put in place.
Arrangements have been made to enrol any child who doesn’t currently have a dentist with one of two nearby practices. If a child needs urgent care they will be referred to the Community Dental Clinic.
“Tooth decay is almost entirely preventable,” said Cllr Nerva. “Establishing good oral health behaviours early on is part of giving every child the best start in life.”
Additional schools and nurseries invited:
- Little Explorers Nursery
- First Steps Day Care
- Fountain Montessori Preschool
- Budding Learners Montessori Nursery
- North Stars Nursery
- Kingsbury Green Primary School
- Oliver Goldsmith Primary School
- Fryent Primary School
- Sinai Jewish Primary School
- St Robert Southwell Roman Catholic Primary School
