From Classroom to Home: How Toothbrushing Success is Inspiring the Whole Family

For many parents, encouraging children to brush their teeth can be a daily challenge. For one family in Knowsley, however, the tables have turned.

Thanks to a toothbrushing programme at school, five-year-old Ernie, a pupil at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, has become a champion for good oral health at home.

Ernie’s Dad, Gary, explains: “When Ernie first started to brush his teeth at home, he didn’t really like it but now he’s brushing at school around his mates he’s really enjoying it.

“Ernie will tell me - 'You're not doing it right, that wasn't long enough’, and ‘it's not a race.'

“I think it’s an absolutely brilliant thing that the school have introduced.”

The toothbrushing programme, All Together Smiling, helps children develop healthy toothbrushing habits through supervised toothbrushing in eligible early years settings, primary schools and childminders across Cheshire and Merseyside. Alongside daily brushing, children receive free oral health packs to support continued brushing at home with their families.

One of the key strengths of the programme is peer modelling, with children brushing their teeth alongside their friends and peers in class. This makes toothbrushing a shared part of the daily routine, and feel like a fun activity, rather than a chore.

Watch Ernie and Gary talk about the benefits of peer modelling with All Together Smiling.

Gary describes the positive impact the programme has had on other members of their family, and the benefits of ‘shared learning’ in school and at home: "When one's getting praised for brushing their teeth correctly, the other's looking and thinking, 'I need to do the same.’”

The All Together Smiling programme now supports over 18,200 children across 341 settings, representing 58% of eligible settings, and has distributed more than 450,000 oral health packs across Cheshire and Merseyside since its launch.

By establishing positive routines early, All Together Smiling is helping children and families build habits that can support healthier smiles for years to come.

All Together Smiling is an evidence-based supervised toothbrushing programme, supporting children aged 2 to 7, offered to eligible settings situated within the 20% most deprived communities across Cheshire and Merseyside.

For more information about the All Together Smiling programme, or to find out whether your setting is eligible to take part, contact the team at alltogethersmiling@alderhey.nhs.uk