Twenty-eight dental hygienists and dental therapists got involved in the First Smiles campaign this year, visiting local schools and nurseries to spread the word on why oral health is so important. The campaign, organised by the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT), provides an opportunity for professionals to reach out to young people in their communities.

Among the activities arranged were demonstrations on how to brush, role-playing a visit to the dentist, quizzes and games designed to highlight ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods in terms of the amount of hidden sugars.

Joanne Martin commented: ‘The feedback from parents was lovely and some of the children that hadn't been to the dentist before were asking their parents to take them. Hopefully by doing these sessions with our younger generation, the messages we are always promoting are getting out there. This is a fantastic opportunity for our dental profession to keep our kids smiling’.

Lynn Chalinder added: ‘We carry out clinics weekly in an area of severe deprivation and lack of education and care, so the samples went down a storm! For some of the children, this was their first and only toothbrush and they had individual attention in how to use them. It went really well’.

BSDHT would like to thank all of those who got involved in this year's First Smiles campaign. For more information about the BSDHT, visit www.bsdht.org.uk.