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D entists are going to be of- fering NHS treatment to residents in care homes inNorthamptonshireafterastudy found some older people are mis- sing out on regular dental care. Nine dental practices will offer oralhealthassessmentstoresidents at 47 of the country’s care homes. Any follow up care can then be done at the dental surgery or at the care home itself. The scheme will run as a six month pilot and if it is successful, it will be rolled out across all the care homes in Northamptonshire. An improvement in oral health has led to people retaining their teeth into old age, and so maintain- ing good oral health is important for daily comfort and living. Di Fenton, head of dentistry for NHS Northamptonshire, said: “A sample of care home residents showed that all had some degree of tooth decay which can affect people’s general quality of life, and more seriously can lead to prob- lems with eating. “We’ve a commitment that eve- ry resident in Northamptonshire should have the opportunity to access an NHS dentist, including those who would struggle to visit the dentist at their surgery. “We’ll be carefully monitor- ing the outcomes of this pilot, and should it prove successful we hope to make it available to every care home resident in Nort- hamptonshire in the autumn.” DT A record number of chil- dren in Scotland have healthy teeth, according to a new report. The report, by the National Dental Inspection Programme, found that 64 per cent of pupils in primary year seven (last year of primary school) had no sign of tooth decay in 2009. In 2007, the figure was 59.1 per cent. The figure exceeds the Scot- tish Government’s target for 60 per cent of 11-year olds to have no obvious signs of tooth decay. How- ever, the target was not reached in some parts of Scotland, such as Glasgow and Lanarkshire. Children in Shetland re- corded the best average last year while children in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Dumfries and Galloway, Lanarkshire and Western Isles health board areas are still below the 2010 target. The report found that dental disease is still being found much more in children from deprived backgrounds than those from af- fluent homes. Minister for Public Health Shona Robison announced the report’s findings at an NHS Scot- land event for National Health Service staff. She said: “There are now more kids in Scotland with healthy teeth than ever before. “We wanted 60 per cent of pri- marysevenstohavenosignoftooth decay by 2010 and I am pleased to say that this target has been met. “Dental health in Scotland is improving, particularly in de- prived communities, and this is a trend that we want to continue. “Thanks to work to ensure that children know the impor- tance of dental care at the earli- est age, Scotland’s primary sev- ens are now better placed to have a lifetime of good oral health.” Ms Robison added: “Across all areas of the NHS, not just in oral health, we are committed to improving the wellbeing of our nation. That means supporting measures that prevent ill health. We don’t just want to treat peo- ple who are ill; we want to make sure people stay healthy. “In today’s tough economic times we need to be as efficient as possible and that means max- imising our investment in the health of the Scottish people.” The 2009 National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) is a development of the Scottish Health Boards’ Epidemiological Programme. It is a joint venture between all NHS Boards in Scot- land, the Scottish Health Depart- ment, Glasgow Dental School (University of Glasgow) and the Dental Health Services Research Unit, Dundee. DT Healthy teeth rise in Scots kids A scheme where children dress up as dentists and dental nurses so they can learn about oral healthcare and visiting the dentist has now been launched in the north-west of England. The programme Dental Play Box is run by Action for Sick Children and has been operating for a number of years in Scot- land. It is now expanding into the north-west of England. The play facilitator trav- els around nurseries and pre- schools running play sessions with a box of resources, which includes role play uniforms such as a dentist and dental nurse, hand puppets, toothbrushes, games, stories and a teacher’s pack. The settings are able to borrow the resources so the chil- dren can explore the contents in their own time. A spokeswoman for Action for Sick Children said: “These boxes help children to learn through play how to understand dental treatment and encourage them to co-operate with the den- tist, which in turn makes a visit to the dentist a much less scary experience. Some of the items in- side the Play Box are dressing up outfits, a wide selection of toys and jigsaws, videos, books, den- tal tools and leaflets.” The Dental Play Box, spon- sored by Boots, is focussing on the north-west as it has bad statistics regarding oral health- care. The charity’s long-term plan is to expand into different areas of the country. 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