Fluoride varnish offered to primary school pupils

Treatment to prevent tooth decay and dental cavities is set to be offered to children at every Manx primary school from January, the government has said.

The Smile of Mann programme, run by Isle of Man Public Health to tackle childhood tooth decay, will provide fluoride varnish to all primary school children on a six month basis.

The Children's Oral Health report published earlier this year found there was a higher rate of tooth decay amongst those under five on the island than in the UK.

David Ashford, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said fluoride varnish, along with supervised toothbrushing and regular dental surveys was a "tried and tested method" to reduce childhood tooth decay.

The Smile of Mann scheme involves daily tooth brushing for five-year-olds in primary schools and early years settings, and twice-yearly fluoride varnishing, but in March that project was expanded to include children from Reception to year six.

Similar programmes had shown a reduction in the need for fillings, he said, such as Childsmile in Scotland, which offers free toothbrushes, toothpaste and two fluoride varnish applications per year.

"We hope to see a similar improvement here in years to come," Ashford added.

At the start of the Spring term, electronic consent forms would be sent to parents and carers to complete, which is required for children to receive the treatment.

Professor Ross Keat from Public Health Isle of Man said the treatment was "one element of our Smile of Mann programme" which aimed to remove barriers caused by tooth decay such as pain, or days off school.

The government said the treatment, which involves brushing a form of topical fluoride directly onto the tooth's surface, takes five minutes and would be applied by qualified dental nurses in school settings.

Once applied, the substance hardens and slowly starts releasing fluoride into the enamel.

The programme was free and designed to make oral healthcare "easy and accessible for every child," the government added.

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