The Oral Health Awards encourage every service and setting in North Somerset to become a centre of excellence in oral health promotion, representing high standards in educating, integrating and reinforcing oral health messages. 

Whatever your service, if you work with people you can promote good oral health practices through your everyday activities. The Oral Health Awards provide goals within each of the three standards to select and work towards. What that looks like for each member will be different, the main thing is that it works for you so that you can sustain it for the long term.

Oral health problems are a major issue for children and young people growing up in the UK as well as the working-age and ageing populations. Sore teeth and gums hinder eating, sleeping, speaking and socialising. They impact physical health, lead to more paediatric hospital admissions than any other condition, and of course impact performance.

Let this award scheme guide you through some practical steps that you can work towards, evidence and be awarded for. Who doesn’t love an award?

So, get in touch with Catherine Wheatley to ask your questions or register today.

To gain accreditation for integrating oral health promotion within your setting’s strategies and operations, you must demonstrate meeting goals within each of the standards, Educating, Integrating and Reinforcing with additional recognition for Mobilising your beneficiaries (students, families, staff, clients) into action.

Bronze Award Two goals in each standard (= total of 6)
Silver Award Two goals in each standard plus one extra goal in any standard (= 7)
Gold Award Three goals in each standard (= 9)
Platinum Award Three goals in each standard as decided up and driven by principle beneficiaries

Health is created when people have control over the decisions that affect them and are equal partners in the schemes designed to support them. Therefore, for the top award participation should be at its very best. However, any attempts to engage beneficiaries with any level of this accreditation and have them practice their autonomy and community action skills will be commended by Better Health North Somerset.

Each standard is made up for five possible goals, though if you have your own goals in mind come to us and discuss them.

Each type of practice has it’s own set of goals but in a nutshell, Educating is about bringing awareness of the more recent and best quality guidance for taking care of teeth and gums (lessons, assemblies, CPD, family engagement, special events, display boards, social media posts/leaflets etc). Integrating is about how your setting promotes oral health in the way it runs (training, policies and ongoing practice etc.). Reinforcing is about bringing in a special intervention to close the gap in inequality (toothbrushing, supplying oral hygiene packs, encouraging attendance to routine dental appointments, specific oral health policy etc.)

You may achieve this by whichever means you feel is appropriate for you however, for some suggestions of what this might look like please refer to the descriptions in the members pack. For any of the goals you choose, Better Health North Somerset will be on hand to support and help you make it happen.

Accreditation Handbooks

Early Years Oral Health Awards HandbookFind out about the goals and process for working towards an oral health awards in an early years setting.Download PDF (277 KB)
Schools Oral Health Awards HandbookFind out more about the goals and process of an oral health award for schools.Download PDF (367 KB)Large yellow box atop a smaller blue box, yellow box reads Oral Health Awards, blue box reads for schools.
Services Oral Health Awards HandbookFind out about the goals and process services work towards to gain an oral health award.Download PDF (299 KB)
Workplaces Oral Health Awards HandbookFind out more about the goals and process for achieving an oral health awards as a workplaceDownload PDF (335 KB)

Resources

Useful Links and Downloads

Oral Public Health Specialist

Healthy and Sustainable Communities Directorate
North Somerset Council
Town Hall
Walliscote Grove Road
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 1UJ

catherine.wheatley@n-somerset.gov.uk

    Presenter demonstrating toothbrushing on a giant mouth puppetTraining: Oral Health PromotionOur FREE Oral Health Promotion Workshops are a popular CPD for staff across sectors. From Early Years Practitioners to Stop…Find out more about 'Training: Oral Health Promotion'Save Training: Oral Health Promotion to favourites
    School Oral Health Lessons, Links and DownloadsBelow are some resources to support the delivery of Oral Health education in Early Years Foundation Stage settings, Key Stage…Find out more about 'School Oral Health Lessons, Links and Downloads'Save School Oral Health Lessons, Links and Downloads to favourites
    Display Board Print Outs and IdeasIdeas and print outs to get you started on your staff or public display boardDownload PPTX (5 MB)
    Food Policy PlannerThis planner will take you through the steps needed to map out what’s happening, set some goals, make a policy to meet those goals and communicate that policy.Download DOCX (335 KB)
    Lesson PlansLesson plan snippets and ideas based on promoting oral health - the science of decay, toothbrushing technique, eggshells experiment, song writing, writing instructions and writing a chronological reportDownload PDF (825 KB)
    Example – Early Years Oral Health PolicyThis oral health policy sets out how staff will work with children and their families to promote care for their mouths.Download DOCX (31 KB)
    Example – Early Years Healthy Food and Drink PolicyThis policy aims to ensure that all aspects of food and nutrition in our setting promote the health and wellbeing of children, families, carers, and staff.Download DOCX (34 KB)
    Example 1 – Care Home Oral Health PolicyHeadings: Why mouth care matters, How a care home will help residents with oral health and, Available resources and referencesDownload ODT (17 KB)
    Example 2 – Care Home Oral Health PolicyHeadings: Improving the oral health of our residents, All residents will..., The manager of the care home will..., Care staff will..., Summary of oral care provision for residents, Available resources and references Download ODT (17 KB)
    Quality Assurance Checklist – Care Home Oral Health PolicyIf you already have an oral health policy in place or are not planning to use one of the templates provided, then you can use this checklist to ensure your oral health policy includes all the relevant information.Download ODT (15 KB)