Running until mid-June, the charity campaign is championing the benefits of good oral health and the value of a healthy smile.
However, we all know inequalities continue to be a burden for countless individuals, with tooth brush sharing and brushing teeth with water not uncommon in poorer households. It is not always easy to make oral health a priority over putting food on the table, with children from deprived areas more than twice as likely to have tooth decay compared to those from less deprived areas*. Tooth decay is almost entirely preventable, however it remains the number one reason for childhood hospital admissions for general anaesthesia in the UK.*
Give a Smile, is our dental hygiene project. With the aim of ensuring households in deprived areas receive either a family or an individual pack both contains three months’ supply of quality dental products. We expect to make up around 1500 of these packs this year and some 20 local charities will benefit including food banks, youth groups, women’s refuges and homeless hostels.
Give a Smile is in its second year and is very well received but don’t just take our word for it here’s what The Welcome Café told us; “The dental packs were brilliant! Our families were so grateful to receive them and all our children will massively benefit from these! One of my Mums cried when I turned up with it and was so touched!”
Bare Necessities and the Give A Smile campaign has recently been honoured with a Community Hero Award from Cheshire Community Foundation, highlighting the difference such projects are achieving in the local area.
Dental care products are really important for self-esteem and confidence. You can do your bit this National Smile Month by donating toothbrushes and toothpaste to our donation bins.
Alternatively, you can donate here on the Website