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Childsmile after 10 years part 2: programme development, implementation and evaluation Lorna MD Macpherson Jennifer Rodgers David I Conway Dental Update 2024 46:3, 707-709.
Authors
Lorna MDMacpherson
Professor of Dental Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Glasgow
Childsmile is the national child oral health improvement programme for Scotland. It was developed as pilot studies from 2006/7, building on an established national supervised toothbrushing programme in nursery schools. By 2011, an integrated programme was in place in all NHS Boards across the country. The importance of a multi-agency, common risk factor approach is acknowledged and the programme continues to evolve through learning from the embedded process evaluation. The development and implementation of Childsmile has been associated with major improvements in child oral health. However, clear health inequalities remain and the future focus of the programme will aim to reduce further the social gradient of child oral health in Scotland.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of Childsmile, utilizing the theories and approaches outlined in Part 1.
Article
Childsmile aims to improve the oral health of children in Scotland and reduce inequalities both in dental health and access to dental services. Programmes required to make a real impact can be difficult to implement without organizational and system level changes to support new ways of working and alterations in the philosophy of groups and individuals, embracing a multi-agency approach.
The programme follows the principles of supporting the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland by offering the ‘right help at the right time from the right people’. This approach is known as Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and supports young people and their families to work in partnership with the services that can help them.1
In 2001, the first national initiative, which now forms part of the Childsmile programme, commenced. Ad-hoc toothbrushing projects, already operating in some regions of Scotland, were consolidated into a national supervised programme, available to all nursery schools across the country. A more comprehensive approach to child oral health improvement (Childsmile) was developed as pilots from 2006, following the publication of a Scottish Executive Action Plan in 2005.2 The plan included new investment for improving child oral health, and successive government administrations have continued to fund and support the development of the programme.
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