NHS Saved £5m a Year by Childsmile Scheme
According to Scotland’s public health minister, a scheme to improve children’s dental health is saving the NHS nearly £5 million a year in treatment costs.
Childsmile provides young children with two fluoride varnish applications a year, as well as free toothpaste and toothbrushes. Nursery children and children in primary schools in deprived areas are given supervised brushing on a daily basis.
As well as free dental treatments, the scheme offers dietary advice to parents and adult carers as a measure to prevent tooth decay.
Maureen Watt, public health minister, has said it is a ‘tremendous example of spending to save’.
The amount of primary one children with no obvious experience of decay rose from 54% to 68% between 2006-2014.
Ms Watt stated that the scheme has led to significant savings in treatment costs because less children are in need or fillings, extractions and general anaesthetics.
She went on to say that since 2007, great progress has been made in the improvement of access to NHS dentists, with 92% of children in Scotland now registered.
Ms Watt feels that Childsmile’s success speaks for itself in the millions of pound saved and the difference that has been made to children’s oral health.
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