The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) and Dental Trauma UK (DTUK) are pleased to announce a formal collaboration between the two organisations. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to improving the oral health, wellbeing and clinical outcomes of children and young people. By bringing together expertise in paediatric dentistry and dental trauma, BSPD and DTUK will work together to share knowledge, promote best practice and support clinical decision making.

To support families of children and young people (CYP) diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD) in understanding how best to maintain good oral health, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has collaborated with national partners to launch two new guidance videos. CYP with CHD are at increased risk of oral health problems, including dental infections that can lead to serious complications. For some children, untreated dental infection may increase the risk of infective endocarditis and complicate planned medical or cardiac care.

Today the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), the national Society dedicated to improving the oral health of children and young people, responded to the new dental data from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The Society acknowledged that it is good to see improvements overall but that there is still much work to be done to ensure that the most vulnerable children, and in particular those who live in areas with the least access to NHS dental care, get the care and treatment they need.

Today, the President of British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), Dr Oosh Devalia OBE, wrote an open letter to the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP and James Frith MP as they take up their new ministerial roles that will include children’s dentistry. Below are the key points outlined in BSPD’s letter, which detail the progress made to-date to support children and young people’s oral health, and the priority steps still to be taken.

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has welcomed the launch of new Mini Mouth Care Matters (Mini MCM) training and resources for health visiting teams, now live on the NHS Learning Hub. Developed in partnership with the Institute of Health Visiting, the package equips health visitors and wider health visiting teams to promote good oral health from the antenatal period through to early childhood. It brings together an e-learning programme, a practical ‘lift the lip’ mouth check guide, and an age-staged oral health advice checklist covering toothbrushing, diet, fluoride and dental attendance.