Community-based oral health project Teeth Team is the first winner of the newly-created British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) Outstanding Innovation Award.

Teeth Team was set up in 2010 in a deprived area of Hull to initiate tooth-brushing programmes in schools and soon won the support of schools, local dental practices, dental suppliers and politicians. The number of children from the area having a general anaesthetic for multiple extractions has since decreased by nearly 20% and Teeth Team has played a key role in this.

Project founder and dental practice manager Ingrid Perry (pictured) said: 'In Hull there was a whole generation of families for whom it was normal never to see the dentist except to go to hospital to have teeth extracted. That's all they know. But we got talking to children, broke down the barriers and now families are accessing routine dental care.'

BSPD spokesperson Claire Stevens praised everyone involved in the initiative and said: 'Teeth Team provide the evidence that where there is a commitment to make dental health a priority in schools, change is possible. Children's oral health is everyone's business and this is a perfect example'.

The prize for winning the award is the opportunity to give a presentation at the BSPD conference. As the founder and the secretary, Ingrid has been invited to be a conference speaker.

Dr Stevens praised the other entries to the award, which included:

  • A portfolio of resources to help reduce dental anxiety in children from a team at Sheffield University led by Zoe Marshman

  • The RISK DISK, a caries risk assessment tool developed by Sophie Marshall and Thayalan Kandiah

  • An online oral health and risk assessment tool for young patients called the Young DEPPA (Denplan PreViser Patient Assessment tool) developed by a team led by Stephen Fayle, Iain Chapple, Mike Busby and Liz Chapple.