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HEYA - healthy mouth

Once you have achieved your bronze healthy eating and physical activity awards, you can move on to the silver healthy mouth award. This continues the work you started in your bronze healthy eating award where you introduced healthier food options to help the reduction of sugary foods and drinks, which will also benefit teeth.

We can improve our oral health by reducing the amount and frequency of sugar we consume daily, brushing our teeth using a fluoride toothpaste which protects the enamel, and accessing a dentist for preventative advice and treatment. Undertaking the HEYA Healthy Mouth award will support you to do this.

Toothbrushing introduced into an early years setting can teach a child a skill for life, which can be shared with parents and carers to become a daily routine. The following statistics are from the document Inequalities in oral health in England:

  • Tooth decay is still the most common reason for hospital admissions in the 6 to 10-year-old age group.
  • It is estimated that around 102 children a day, some just a year old, are having teeth removed in hospital.
  • Extraction of teeth with general anaesthetic is often a child’s first introduction to dental care and can lead to fear and anxiety with lifetime consequences.

Promoting children’s health and welfare is of course the main priority, but did you know that undertaking the Silver Healthy Mouth Award can also contribute towards meeting your statutory requirements. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework states that 'Providers must promote the good health, including the oral health, of the children they look after'.

While we're happy to provide templates as the basis for your own documents, you will need to ensure that you make them GDPR compliant for use in your individual settings.

Important information to all new settings: Please be aware before signing up to the HEYA Healthy mouth award programme that, if your setting is situated in a non-priority area, you may be asked to fund your own resources (suitable toothpaste, brushes storage racks and lids) necessary for the supervised toothbrushing programme. This will be discussed further on application.

Documents