The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) today welcomes new research published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) showing a significant expansion in supervised toothbrushing (STB) across England. The findings demonstrate a continued positive trajectory since the first national survey was published in 2022, with many of the recommendations to overcome barriers to rollout of STB now implemented.
The BRUSH project has conducted a series of surveys of STB since 2022 and the survey published today reports that 81% of local authorities were delivering STB in 2025, compared with 48% in 2022 and 59% in 2024. Participation has more than doubled, rising from 106,273 children in 2022 to 238,636 in 2025.
BSPD welcomes these results which show the impact of sustained advocacy, strengthened local partnerships, and the growing recognition that supervised toothbrushing is one of the most effective and cost‑efficient ways to prevent dental decay and reduce oral health inequalities. This is a continued positive trajectory and represents evidence-based policy with the launch of the National STB Programme in March 2025.
The Society notes that several key actions highlighted in previous surveys have now been achieved since the launch of the National STB Programme, including:
- Wider adoption of supervised toothbrushing across local authorities
- Improved knowledge‑sharing and relationship‑building between local partners
- Greater support for early years settings implementing STB including an update on the Help for Early Years Providers website, which now features BSPD resources
- Clearer alignment with national prevention priorities
Importantly, the multi-year funding that the BRUSH project called for has now been secured, addressing one of the most persistent barriers identified in earlier surveys. BSPD says this is essential to ensure stability, workforce capacity, and long‑term planning.
BRUSH champions evidence‑based prevention
BSPD also acknowledges the significant role of the National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded BRUSH project in accelerating progress. The new BDJ findings reflect the impact of a coordinated evidence‑driven national effort. BRUSH has been central to:
- Championing the evidence base for supervised toothbrushing
- Supporting local authorities to scale up programmes with their BRUSH toolkit
- Sharing practical learning from early adopters
- Advocating for sustainable, long‑term investment
Dr Zoe Marshman, BSPD Spokesperson and Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Sheffield, said: “This new research shows a very encouraging and continued positive trajectory for supervised toothbrushing across England. Many of the recommendations called for in previous surveys have now been delivered, and we are seeing real momentum behind this vital preventative work. The BRUSH project has played a significant role in championing the evidence base and supporting local authorities to embed supervised toothbrushing in early years settings. Securing multi‑year funding is a particularly important step forward. Sustainable investment is essential if we are to maintain progress and ensure that children in the most deprived communities benefit from this proven intervention.”
Dr Peter Day, BSPD Member and Professor of Children’s Oral Health and Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, University of Leeds said: “As a paediatric dentist, I see every day how poor dental health hits the most vulnerable children hardest. The BRUSH study shows real progress is being made: twice as many children are now benefiting from supervised toothbrushing programmes, many of these located in deprived neighbourhoods. Crucially, the study highlights the practical challenges that must be addressed to turbo boost the expansion of the national programme.”
About the study
The BDJ paper combines a national survey of 152 local authorities with a multi‑site case study exploring barriers and facilitators to implementation. Whilst progress is strong, the authors from the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds note that provision remains variable and that achieving the Government’s target of reaching 600,000 children will require:
- Workforce stability
- Logistical support for early years settings
- Strengthened local partnerships and knowledge‑exchange systems
The findings reinforce the importance of prevention-first policy, and that supervised toothbrushing must remain a national priority if England is to reduce the unacceptable inequalities in children’s oral health. The research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
