Tuesday, 24 January 2012
ABM University Health Board is delighted to be launching a brand new mobile dental unit which will be visiting schools in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
The unit, which will be manned by a dentist and dental nurse, will be offering fissure sealant and fluoride varnish applications to help safeguard children’s teeth from decay. Later on, treatments like fillings will also be available.The aim is to prevent cavities in children’s teeth and ensure they grow up with a healthy smile.
Mandy Silva, ABM’s Dental Health ‘Designed to Smile’ Manager, said:
“The team is delighted to take delivery of the new mobile dental unit. It will form an essential part of the Designed to Smile programme to improve the oral health of school children in Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot.
“The unit will visit local primary schools and provide preventive care with little disruption to the school day. This is an exciting time in the development of the programme and the team will be on the road in the next couple of weeks.”
The project is part of the Welsh Government’s Designed to Smile oral health improvement programme designed to improve children’s dental health. Recent figures show that over 50% of five-year-olds in Wales have experienced tooth decay, which is a totally preventable disease.
Across Wales over 515 schools take part in Designed to Smile, with over 30,000 children involved.
The programme also promotes key messages for good oral health including:
- Tooth brushing – supervised tooth brushing in school and nursery, and the promotion of good oral hygiene at home.
- Healthy eating and drinking – advice which emphasises limited sugar consumption kept to mealtimes only. Milk and water are the only safe drinks for children and snacks should be sugar free.
- Dental screening – annual dental checks to highlight problems early.
ABM’s mobile unit is being launched on Friday, 3rd February, at Clwyd School in Penlan, Swansea, at 11am.
For more information about Designed to Smile, go to www.designedtosmile.co.uk .
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