00:00Health leaders in Liverpool say helping children develop proper oral hygiene habits early could play a vital role in improving
00:07health and preventing serious dental problems.
00:10As part of a five-year initiative between the UK government and Colgate-Palmolive, Liverpool City Council is expecting to
00:17receive more than 40,000 toothbrushes and almost 40,000 tubes of toothpaste for distribution across the city.
00:24The donation forms part of a nationwide programme that will provide more than 23 million toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste
00:32to support supervised toothbrushing for children aged 3 to 5 in early years settings located in some of England's most
00:39deprived communities.
00:41The initiative comes as dental decay continues to present a significant public health challenge in both Merseyside and Cheshire.
00:49According to figures cited by Liverpool City Council, 31% of five-year-olds experience tooth decay.
00:56Tooth extraction is also the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 5 to 9 across the UK.
01:02Alongside the distribution of dental care products, Liverpool's expanding its supervised toothbrushing programme known as Altogether Smiling.
01:11At Alder Hay, the Mini Mouth Care Matters programme is also helping improve oral health for children and young people
01:17staying in hospital for more than 24 hours.
01:20The Children's Hospital says many of the severe dental problems seen in young children are largely preventable through early intervention,
01:27education and regular toothbrushing.
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