Ministers to Tackle the Problem of Poor Oral Health in Wales
A group of cross party Welsh ministers will join together to tackle the problem of poor oral health in Wales.
The children and young people committee will evaluate the efficacy of oral health programmes and determine how much further investment in needed in oral health services across the country.
The announcement comes in light of statistics showing that over half of five year olds in Wales suffer from tooth decay. The report also showed that rates of decay were higher in deprived areas.
In 2009 the Welsh Government launched the Designed to Smile programme, which was designed to improve oral health education and raise awareness of oral health and oral hygiene. The programme included supervised brushing sessions for children aged between 3 and 5 years old and promotional programmes for children aged between 6 and 11. The Welsh Assembly ministers will now meet to analyse and evaluate the efficacy of the programme and determine whether or not the programme improved standards of oral health amongst poorer children.
Christine Chapman, chair of the children and young people committee and Assembly Minister for Cynon Valley, said that it was important to see how effective the programme has been as so much money has been invested. The aim of the investigation is to determine whether or not the investment has brought improvements in oral health standards.
The committee will also be working to try and identify other ways or promoting oral health and encouraging young people to look after their teeth and gums, which is particularly important, as recent figures have suggested alarmingly high rates of smoking and drinking, both risk factors for oral health diseases, amongst children aged between 11 and 15.
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