Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced that Designed to Smile, the oral health improvement programme aimed at young children in Wales, is to be extended following two successful pilot schemes in north and south Wales. The scheme sees dental health support workers deliver a supervised tooth-brushing programme in schools and provide toothbrushes and toothpaste to school children along with oral health advice. Part of this service is delivered via mobile dental health units that provide specialist preventive care and treatment to schools.Funding for the scheme will double to £3.1 million for 2009/10 rising to over £3.8 million from 2010/11. Health Minister Edwina Hart commented, 'The rates of tooth decay in parts of Wales are too high and something that needs to be tackled. There is a significant role for parents to play, but we know that for many children at greatest risk of dental decay, cleaning their teeth or having their teeth cleaned does not form part of their daily routine.'
