Dental surgery hosts family oral health corner on weekends

A London dental surgery has turned part of its waiting room into a pram-friendly corner on Saturdays, where parents and carers pick up oral health tips while children try brushing demos and activity sheets, giving families a simple stop-off alongside routine errands.

The small shift aims at a big gap: the National Dental Epidemiology Programme found that 23.7% of five-year-olds in England had experience of dental decay in 2021–22, with London reporting a higher proportion than the national average, so child-friendly spaces inside high-street practices are being used to normalise prevention for families who rarely book separate advice sessions.

Recent policy adds momentum; England’s Dental Recovery Plan published in February 2024 set out measures to create up to 2.5 million additional NHS dental appointments, including prevention-focused outreach and materials for children, which practices can align with by dedicating room for supervised brushing and quick guidance during routine visits.

The approach is deliberately everyday: a low table, posters at child height and short brush-timers alongside take-home leaflets in commonly requested languages, so parents can cover basics—fluoride strength, snack timing and first dental checks—without a separate booking or extra travel.

Equity sits in the detail, with staff placing the corner near step-free access and keeping picture-led guides for families who prefer visual prompts, while reception tracks the share of child appointments that take a leaflet to see if the weekend set-up nudges participation in areas where decay rates are highest.

Day to day, the change looks modest—one child practices with a timer, another family leaves with a brushing chart—but managers will watch whether these micro-interventions, layered onto routine care, help narrow the gap between London and England averages through the rest of 2025.

18 November 2025 08:45 By London Health News Desk