Dr Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer for England, recently opened two fora aimed at raising awareness of oral health benefits. The fora looked at the benefits of the Brushing for Life scheme, which encourages families with young children in disadvantaged areas to get into the habit of brushing their children's teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste, and at the evidence for including fluoride in the prevention of dental decay.

Pictured from left to right, Chris Pedersen, General Manager, Colgate–Palmolive (UK) and Dr Barry Cockcroft, CDO, England with the Tower Hamlets workshop leads

Kirklees and Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trusts, both identified as areas with high oral health need and with good records of involvement in oral health prevention, hosted the fora.

The delegates at each forum were welcomed by the Chair of the PCT who reinforced the importance of oral health as part of their overall plans to improve the health of their local people.

Speaking at the event, Dr Cockcroft said, 'The main objective of our reforms of NHS dentistry was to give Primary Care Trusts a statutory responsibility to commission primary dental care services to reflect the needs of their local populations. People can benefit as much from advice on how to prevent dental disease as from its treatment.'

The Brushing for Life scheme was launched by Minister for Health Services, Rosie Winterton as a joint initiative with Colgate in September 2006.