Journalist Julie Cook has hit out at Labour’s plan to introduce supervised toothbrushing into school classrooms, arguing the responsibility should be left to parents.
Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled plans that are set to cost £111 million annually, and would result in teachers in areas with high tooth decay supervising the morning dental care for pupils aged three to five.
Speaking on GB News, Cook told Patrick Christys that Starmer is “missing the point” and is mistaken if he believes the policy is a vote getter.
“If children are unable to brush their teeth or parents are unable to keep their teeth healthy, we should be looking at making sure there are enough NHS dentists to make sure their teeth are healthy in the first place”, she said.
Julie Cook has hit out at new classroom proposals
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“I don’t think it’s the place of the teacher to brush children’s teeth.”
Starmer has faced opposition from the chief of the National Association of Headteachers, with general secretary Paul Whiteman saying: “This week we have seen guidance on mobile phones from Government and a new dentistry duty from the Opposition.
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“This is not the response needed to solve the crises in school. We have serious reservations about how such a policy could work.
“It is not the role of teachers to be making sure children brush their teeth each day. We should demand more than window dressing from all of our politicians.”
Around 42,000 children went to dentists to have teeth removed in 2021/22, with 26,700 of whom having tooth decay as their main diagnosis, according to NHS figures.
Labour are also looking to fund NHS dental practices to provide 700,000 more urgent appointments for procedures such as root canals and fillings, and the eradication of ‘dental deserts’ in rural areas.
Sir Keir Starmer has outlined a new dental plan for schools
PAThe country’s largest dental body have backed the policy.
Shawn Charlwood from the British Dental Association said: “Tooth decay is the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children, so supervised brushing is a no brainer. It's a tried and tested policy that would pay for itself.”
Cook hit out at the idea, saying making sure children’s teeth are clean is a basic component of parenting.
“It’s giving the state too much control”, she said.
“The parents should be brushing their own child’s teeth.
“This is a really simple thing that every parent could do, and it isn’t for the state to take care of that. The cost of dentistry is the clear issue and if there were enough dentists around, this wouldn’t be a problem.
“It’s patronising parents and teachers. Teachers haven’t trained to brush children’s teeth.
“These are just basic things.”
