Nottinghamshire Healthcare team shortlisted for National Dental Awards honour

The team has been shortlisted for its National Smile Month campaign which involved a range of activities to share important oral health messages.

Julia Wilkinson, senior health promotion specialist in the team, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be a finalist in The Dental Awards.

"It has been such a challenging time for everyone, we are proud that our innovative work has been recognised at such a high level.”

The team strives to improve the oral health and smiles of the residents in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, by working with children and young people, their families, and local

professionals.

Becky Sutton, executive director of community health services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare, said: “Congratulations to our oral health promotion team.

"They work extremely hard to improve the oral health of local people and really deserve this recognition.

“Last year, was a very challenging year for all – they made sure they worked even more innovatively to overcome barriers, and to raise awareness of this fantastic campaign.

"We wish them luck for the next stage.”

One of the activities the team ran was ‘brushing buddies’, a supervised toothbrushing programme at targeted sites identified in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Another activity was ‘Teeth Tools for Schools’, an educational resource for three to 11-year-olds.

To build on this and to support the engagement process during the pandemic, the team created an electronic newsletter – ‘The Crunch’ – for sites working with children and

young people, such as schools and nurseries.

Winners will be announced on July 1.