Alder Hey Children’s Charity supports Mini Mouth Care Matters programme
Alder Hey Children’s Charity, in collaboration with Liverpool City Council, is delighted to have supported Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in the Mini Mouth Care Matters programme, a project which aims to empower medical professionals to take ownership of the oral healthcare of any paediatric in-patient.
The programme, which has been developed to combat the rising issue of poor oral health in children, has been implemented in response to the significant concern surrounding children’s oral care since COVID-19. A survey showed that in the North West, 31% of children aged 0-5 year have obvious signs of dental caries, an alarming figure, which increases up to 37% when the data is isolated to Liverpool.
Alder Hey Children’s Charity is proud to have been able to support the programme by helping to provide mouthcare packs which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, a timer and an information leaflet. The packs feature special flavourless toothpaste for patients who are sensitive to strong flavours, as well as special suction toothbrushes for patients where standard toothbrushing is not possible or recommended. These packs are now in use and are available to all children and young people who have to stay at the hospital for more than 24 hours.
Mini Mouth Care Matters was launched at Alder Hey on February 7th, alongside a package of digital resources and e-learning for staff to access as well as helpful videos and the mouthcare packs for patients and their families. In the month that has followed since its launch, the programme has yielded positive results. Susana Dominguez-Gonzalez, Consultant Orthodontist at Alder Hey, said:
By supporting this initiative, Alder Hey Children’s Charity is reinforcing its commitment to creating brighter and healthier futures for children and young people by supporting projects that will make a difference both now and in the future.