FAQs and School Brushing Routine
Patient Information Leaflet - parents and carers
Q: If my child is going to brush in school, does he/she need to brush their teeth at home in the morning?
A: Yes! Don't stop your child brushing in the morning or at night, any brushing at school is an extra one! Also, the school may not be able to brush every day and of course not in the school holidays.
Q: How long should my child brush their teeth for?
A: Two minutes and don't forget to spit and do not rinse.
Q: We are advised not to brush immediately after a meal at home, whereas at nursery staff will be supervising brushing straight after lunch/snack time. Why is this?
A: While it is good parctice to wait before brushing after a meal, in a nursery setting this might be difficult to achieve as children are actively involved in activities through out the day. Therefore it is more practical to have them brush staright after their lunch/snack so that their activities are not disturbed.
Ideally they will not have any meals for at least 30 minutes after brushing so that the fluoride in the toothpaste can stay longer on the tooth surface.
Q: How is my child's toothbrush stored in the school/nursery?
A: Your children's brushes are stored either in a colour and number coded train to keep them separate. They are all clearly labelled for each child so that they don't get mixed up.
Q: Do staff supervising the programme receive any training regarding the programme?
A: Any member of staff supervising the programme must have received training in the classroom brushing protocols, which include strict cleanliness and the correct way to brush.
Q: In the absence of regular staff how would the new teacher / staff know what protocols to follow?
A: The oral health promotion team will be regularly visiting and observing the programme to make sure that standards are maintained. This ensures that staff training is up to date.
School brushing routine
Step 1: Teachers wash/sanitize hands and cover any cuts/abrasions, and then put gloves on.
Step 2: Children wash/sanitize hands.
Step 3: Children pick up their allocated numbered toothbrush from the storage system.
Step 4: Teachers give each child pea sized amount of toothpaste onto an individual paper towel or tissue.
Step 5: Children apply toothpaste from tissue/paper towel onto their own brush.
Step 6: Children brush their own teeth under supervision of their teacher for 2 minutes.
Step 7: Children are encouraged to spit excess toothpaste into tissue/paper towel.
Step 8: Once brushing is finished children wash their own toothbrush under cold running water and then replace their toothbrush in the allocated space on the storage system, supervised by the teacher.
Step 9: Children wash their hands and return to class work.
Step 10: Teachers replace the storage system lid and put it away. Then they wash their hands.
If any child drops their toothbrush on the floor or it accidentally gets dirty, the teacher will replace the brush with a new one.
All toothbrushes are replaced every term.