Tooth treatment to ease 'strain' on dental service

Providing free fluoride varnish to young children on the Isle of Man should ease the "strain on dental services" as they get older, a public health boss has said.

It comes as the roll out of a programme to provide the treatment at all primary schools on a six month basis began.

Pupils at Ballaugh Primary School were among the first to receive the varnish as part of the the Smile of Mann programme, which aims to tackle issues with children's oral health on the island.

Public Health Consultant Dr Ross Keat said fluoride varnish was "preventative and can start to reverse some early signs of tooth decay".

It follows a 2025 report which found there was a higher rate of tooth decay among the island's children compared to their UK counterparts.

"Fluoride varnish helps reduce the risk of any problems developing, which then of course means as the children get older, there's less strain and need for people to access dental services," Keat said.

The treatment would run alongside Smile of Mann's toothbrushing programme aimed at instilling good oral hygiene habits.

He said through further surveys the island's Public Health Directorate would build up an image as to whether measures were "making improvements to the oral health of children on the Isle of Man"

There were a number of factors that could lead to higher tooth decay on the island, such as a lack of tooth brushing or eating sugary snacks, he said, but tooth decay was "entirely preventable".

Parents and carers were asked to complete an electronic consent form to enable their children to receive the treatment.

Isabella Sime, a dental nurse delivering the treatment, said: "We're hoping that with the fluoride varnish and the supervised toothbrushing, we will see a huge difference in a few years time."

She said the children had been "really keen and really excited" by the fluoride varnish programme.

Education, Sport and Culture Minister Daphne Caine said the programme would mean less toothache, and see fewer children need to go to hospital to have multiple teeth out.

"Aligning fluoride varnish with the widening of supervised tooth brushing instils those good habits in the children," she said.

It was a "real positive for the Isle of Man", she said, adding: "I'm just delighted that after years of being aware of poor oral hygiene, that public health have co-ordinated such a big, comprehensive roll out."

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