The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a new guideline on 22 October 2014 calling on local authorities to improve the oral health of their communities through better advice and support in oral hygiene.

Oral health: approaches for local authorities and their partners to improve the oral health of their communities states that local authorities should consider supervised toothbrushing and fluoride varnishing schemes for areas where children are at high risk of poor oral health. It says that groups responsible for an oral health needs assessment and strategy should develop an oral health strategy based on a needs assessment; that public service environments should promote oral health and information and advice on oral health should be included in all local health and wellbeing policies; that oral health should be promoted in the workplace; and that local authorities and other commissioners should be included in all local health and wellbeing policies.

Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre for Public Health at NICE, said: 'We know from Public Health England that there are wide regional differences in oral health. The situation is bleak for many adults as well as children in disadvantaged areas. Diet, poor oral hygiene, smoking, alcohol, and a lack of understanding about oral health are causing tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and increasing the risk of mouth cancers. These are also the risk factors causing many chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.'

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) warmly welcomed the new guideline which they say reflects a new mindset and meets many of their own recommendations for improving dental health in children.

Claire Stevens, spokesperson for BSPD, said: 'If implemented, the guideline means that instead of an annual spend of more than £30 million on hospital admissions of children for multiple extractions, we could be investing in a wide-reaching prevention approach.

'However, we would like reassurance that the guideline will translate into local authorities taking action.'

The BSPD also questioned why fluoridation had been excluded from the scope of the guideline.

The guideline can be viewed at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph55.