This week marks Volunteers’ Week, and to celebrate, Denplan colleagues donated their time to visit 12 primary schools and EYFS settings across Southampton in a single day, reaching more than 1,200 children with vital oral health education.
Last year, leading dental payment plan provider Denplan, part of The Simplyhealth Group, committed a further £1.2 million to expand the BrightBites oral health education programme, aiming to reach 500,000 children by July 2028.
Since partnering with Dentaid The Dental Charity in 2023, the increased investment has helped respond to a growing need. Data shows that 1.1 million children in Great Britain are living in hygiene poverty, with those in the most deprived areas twice as likely to experience tooth decay as children in more affluent communities1. Tooth decay also remains the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine, with 19,381 cases recorded in 20242.
Designed for primary school-aged children, BrightBites is a fun and informative programme that covers toothbrushing, teeth names and functions, sugar awareness and the importance of regular dental appointments. Since Dentaid The Dental Charity and Denplan’s collaboration began in November 2023, together they have reached more than 7,000 children in Southampton, over 20,000 children in Hampshire and an incredible 239,000 children across the country, delivering sessions in schools, nurseries, and clubs for low-income families to improve oral hygiene.
Charlotte Cook, Senior Sustainability & Resilience Manager at Simplyhealth and Denplan, said: “Our purpose, to improve access to healthcare for all in the UK, drives everything we do, and programmes like BrightBites are a powerful example of that in action. Improving children’s oral health through early education, can make a lifelong difference, helping to prevent avoidable pain and more serious health issues later on.
“As an organisation, we are committed to investing in the local communities we serve, and our continued and accelerated delivery of our BrightBites Programme reflects our long-standing charitable effort to improve health outcomes and tackle health inequalities across the UK.”
Matt Nolan, Head Dental Officer at Denplan and practicing Dentist, said: “Regular and effective toothbrushing is a vital life skill that must be developed from an early age. Essential programmes like BrightBites, are supporting thousands of children to build healthy habits, and show the real impact prevention-focused programmes can have.
“However, with hospital tooth extractions among children still rising, it is essential that both urgent and preventative care remain a priority. We know that children in more deprived communities face the greatest barriers to care and are significantly more likely to experience tooth decay – making early intervention and education more important than ever.”
Andy Evans, CEO of Dentaid, added: “One of the most shocking findings since launching BrightBites has been the scale of hygiene poverty. We’ve heard of teachers providing toothbrushes and toothpaste to pupils who would otherwise go without.
“We must do more to prevent tooth decay before it leads to irreversible damage, and education is one of the most effective tools we have. BrightBites helps instil positive, lifelong habits from an early age.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Denplan for their ongoing support and commitment to this programme, which is enabling us to reach more children, including in Southampton, and make a tangible difference in communities that need it most.”
Beyond the initial in-person sessions, BrightBites also provides teachers and parents with resources designed to work alongside the curriculum to help them encourage children to improve their toothbrushing. Each child is also given a toothbrush and toothpaste to take back home. This is an important aspect of the programme’s prevention aims, with some families unable to afford oral hygiene products.
One in five (21%) parents said their children brush less than twice per day or not at all, according to the last Oral Health Survey3 from Denplan. BrightBites ensures that every child who participates is given a toothbrush and toothpaste to encourage them to be enthusiastic about their oral health journey, with around 239,000 items gifted so far as part of the programme.
As of May 2026, BrightBites has reached 239,000 children with 1978 volunteer visits having taken place.
