About this theme Learn about this years theme and the reasons why we chose it. Expand National Smile Month 2022 is all about shining a light on inequalities within oral health. Millions of people every year are affected by oral health problems. Oral diseases can leave you in extreme pain and affect your quality of life. Sadly, oral diseases may also be life-threatening. Oral health inequalities affect lots of different people and groups within society. Your age, wealth, level of education and where you live can all determine how healthy, or unhealthy, your mouth might be. Inequalities are often preventable. They are also unfair and unjust. In the UK, oral health inequalities can lead to a greater risk of: Oral diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease. Tooth loss and tooth extractions. Mouth cancer. Dental phobias and anxiety. Less access to frontline care and support services. During National Smile Month, we need your support to help more people achieve a healthier life through better oral health. You can do this by providing information and support for children and families, the elderly and vulnerable, people with disabilities and those living in deprivation or isolation. Throughout the campaign, National Smile Month will be focusing on different areas within oral health inequalities, to help address and tackle a number of important issues. Use the links below to discover more about how you can take part in National Smile Month and support those in need of a little extra help.
Week 1: The life of a smile Learn about the changes our mouths go through from cradle to grave. Expand The smile is one of your greatest assets. It helps you to communicate your thoughts and emotions, and gives you extra confidence in your relationships, social life and career. Your mouth is also important for speaking, eating and drinking and breathing. Because of this, it makes sense to give your smile (and your mouth) the best care possible. Looking after your smile throughout all stages of life is really important and can improve your quality of life. Whether you are a younger person, adult, or older person, keeping your mouth healthy can be easy – if you know how. During National Smile Month and beyond, make sure you follow these healthy habits: Brush your teeth last thing at night and at one other time during the day. Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste. Brush your tongue. Clean in between your teeth everyday with interdental brushes or floss. Use a mouthwash every day. Cut down how much and how often you have sugar. These simple steps are essential for good oral health. They will also take no longer than six minutes a day – so it’s a pretty good use of time too. Depending on what stage of life you are at, you may have different challenges when looking after your oral health. During National Smile Month, we will be publishing lots of resources and materials about how your smile changes through life and what you might need to do at each stage to keep on top of it. In the meantime, for more information about looking after your oral health, visit and share the following pages: Dental care for mother and baby. Children’s teeth. Teen’s teeth. Caring for my teeth and gums. Dental care for older people. Things to do Creating good habits takes time. That’s why we have made these easy oral health checklists – so you can keep on top of how you are looking after your smile. Children’s oral health checklist. Adults oral health checklist.
Week 2: A healthy mouth is affordable Learn how to make oral health more affordable and about the different roles in dentistry. Expand Many people can struggle to maintain their oral health due to financial difficulties. Research by the Oral Health Foundation shows more than one-in-three (36%) UK adults admit that they are sacrificing dental visits in order to keep their bank balance in check. We have also found that younger adults are most likely to financially struggle with their oral health. Just under two-in-three (59%) 18-24-year-olds freely admit to their financial inability to look after their mouth, teeth and gums. Whether it’s replacing your toothbrush when the bristles become splayed, making sure you never run out of toothpaste or mouthwash, or keeping up with your regular dental visits – you don’t have to break the bank to take care of your smile. During National Smile Month, you will be able to pick up lots of tips to save money while keeping your oral health in top shape. Some top tips include You may be entitled to free NHS dental care. If you are under 18, pregnant, or on income benefits, you qualify for free NHS dental services. Take a look at the full list on the NHS website. Maintaining a good daily oral health routine keeps your teeth healthy and often lowers the need for expensive treatment like fillings or tooth extractions. Attending regular dental appointments can actually save you money in the long run. This is because they will be able to spot any problems early – before they get worse. It’s much easier to foot the bill for a filling than root canal treatment. Consider joining a dental plan. Research shows that regular access to dentistry reduces the risk of oral disease and means you are more likely to have a healthy mouth. You know that you will need to change your toothbrush (or toothbrush head) every three months, and you can have a good guess at how much toothpaste your household will need over the course of a year. You can make some really good savings buying in bulk. Turning off the tap during brushing is really important. Not only does it cut water waste, but in turn, it will save you money. Over the course of their life, if the tap was left on while brushing, a family of four would waste more water than what it takes to fill an Olympic swimming pool – that’s about £8,000! Speak to your dentist about what toothpaste, mouthwash and interdental brushes you use – while many of the premium products have a number of benefits, they may not be useful to you. You might be able to cut some costs by switching to oral health products that are best for you. Investing in your oral health by buying an electric toothbrush. You can buy these for as little as £30 and they can make such a big difference to the health of your mouth. Electric brushes remove much more plaque than manual ones and can keep your mouth healthier. One of the best ways to save money on your mouth is to do everything you can to limit the amount of treatment you need to save it. Win a luxury oral health hamper During National Smile Month we are giving you the chance to win a luxury oral health hamper. The hamper will include toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, interdental brushes and more – everything you need to keep your mouth healthy over the course of the year. We will be hosting this giveaway on social media, so follow us on Instagram to make sure you don't miss out!
Week 3: Nutrition Learn how what we eat affects our oral health. Expand A healthy diet is good for your body. It is also great news for your smile. What you eat and how often you eat it can have a big impact on your oral health. While a balanced diet packed with vitamins and minerals can yield positive effects, there are also foods and drinks you need to avoid. One of the biggest dangers to your oral health is sugar. Sugar damages your teeth and causes tooth decay. Over time, this often leads to fillings or even tooth extractions. The best ways you can avoid the harm caused by sugar is to limit the amount of sugar you eat or drink. It is also important to limit the number of times during the day that your mouth is exposed to sugar. This means keeping any sugar consumption to mealtimes. Snacking on sugar in between mealtimes is one of the biggest dangers to your mouth. It creates a build up of plaque's bacteria and does not give your mouth the chance to recover. It is better for your teeth and general health if you eat three meals a day instead of having seven to 10 snacks. If you do need to snack between meals, choose foods that do not contain sugar. Fruit does contain acids, which can erode your teeth. However, this is only damaging to your teeth if you eat an unusually large amount. Try not to have a lot of dried fruit as it is high in sugar. If you do eat fruit as a snack, try to eat something alkaline such as cheese afterwards. Savoury snacks are better, such as: Raw vegetables. Breadsticks. Since the beginning of the pandemic, data from the Oral Health Foundation shows staying at home has led to more than one-in-three (38%) UK adults increasing the number of times they are snacking throughout the day. During this time, snacking has risen considerably in younger adults. Nearly two-in-three (61%) under 35s admit they are now eating more often in between meals. Snacking has also risen amongst families with younger children. Seven-in-ten families (70%) with children under five are reporting more snacking in the household. This is more than double compared with those who are not living with children. Use National Smile Month as your chance to reduce the sugar in your diet. Keep coming back to the website, and follow us across social media, for lots of tips and advice. In the meantime, discover how simple changes to your diet can improve your oral health. Diet and your oral health. Rate my plate Whether it’s a meal or a snack, take a photo of your plate and share it with us on social media using #RateMyPlate. We’ll reply back with how much sugar is on your plate and what you can do to lower it. Our team of top nutritional experts will be on hand to offer their best sugar swap solutions. Find out more about Rate My Plate.
Week 4: Oral health around the UK Where you live has a direct impact on oral your health. Expand Where you live can have an impact on every aspect of your life. This includes your oral health. The area you live can affect your mouth in a number of different ways: Your region may or may not have fluoride added to the water supply, changing your odds of having tooth decay. Your town or city could determine how difficult it is to access dental care. The cost of living, combined with differences in household income, may give you more challenges when it comes to affording products or services to look after your mouth. If you live in a rural area, geographical isolation could mean less support for your oral health. As part of National Smile Month, we are committed to reducing inequalities in oral health. During National Smile Month, we will be speaking to local groups and government to try and address these unjust imbalances in health. Where you live also might change how you care for your mouth. Research by the Oral Health Foundation suggests that some areas of the UK have different oral health routines and practices than other. Our findings show: People in the North East are best in the UK at brushing their teeth twice a day (73%), while people from Scotland are worst (62%). Those from London claim to use mouthwash (61%), dental floss (45%) and sugar free chewing gum (25%) regularly – more than anywhere else in the UK. People in Northern Ireland are least likely to regularly use mouthwash (46%), dental floss (26%) and sugar free chewing gum (3%). Those from London are more likely to own an electric toothbrush (62%), compared to the rest of the UK. No matter where you live, do your best to cover the basics of looking after your oral health. If you need help, you can speak to your local dental team for advice or get in touch with our charity’s Dental Helpline. Our team can give you support and information for anything to do with your oral health. Take part in #SharingASmile Sharing a smile can be such a powerful thing to do. It can be a sign of friendship, trust, togetherness and love. It's also a sign of good oral health. That's why, during National Smile Month, we want to collect as many smiles as possible - from all over the UK. National Smile Month is the perfect chance to share your smile and promote the importance of having a healthy mouth.
Week 5: Mouth, mind & body Explore how oral health links to overall wellbeing. Expand There are strong findings that support something that health experts have suspected for a long time… infections in the mouth can be linked with problems in other parts of the body and the mind. Diseases and conditions which may be caused or made worse by poor oral health include: Heart disease. Strokes. Diabetes. Giving birth to a premature or low-birth-weight baby. Respiratory (lung) disease. Dementia. Most of these problems are linked to poor gum health, specifically severe gum disease, and the bacteria that lives in your mouth. It means that having a healthy mouth could help you keep such disease at bay. During National Smile Month, you can learn all about preventing gum disease. We’ll be giving you lots of tips about oral hygiene routines to stop gum infections and advice on what foods and drinks your gums will love (and hate). You’ll also be able to find out how to spot the early signs of gum disease and know what to do when you notice anything out of the ordinary. Until then, take a further look into how the benefits of good oral health go far beyond that of the mouth: Oral health and general wellbeing. Come along to the Brushathon! Brushing your teeth is one of the most effective ways to prevent gum disease – and keep a healthy mouth, body and mind. Tooth brushing is not usually considered a communal event. It’s done in the privacy of your bathrooms, in the morning and last thing at night. Perhaps you’ll open the door for your partner or children, but apart from that, your brushing routine is something not too many people see. That is until National Smile Month comes around! On Wednesday 15 June 2022, The Great British Brushathon will connect people from all around the world in one giant communal brushing event. All you must do is take a selfie whilst brushing your teeth and post it to social media. Alternatively, if you want to get a bit more creative you can film a video of yourself brushing. If you live with any family or friends, get them to join you too.