UK - Campaign to improve city children's teeth

Children's dental health is the focus of a month long city campaign to be launched on Monday (May 18).

The aim is to improve the state of children's teeth.
A survey last year showed that three-year-olds living in the city had more rotting teeth than any others in their age group in the country.
It showed that, on average, 34 per cent of children in the age group had three decayed teeth.
The Leicester City Council campaign ties in with National Smile Month which runs from Monday until Thursday, June 18.
The programme, Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles, begins with a fun run in Abbey Park.
Entry is open to children and staff from city nurseries, who can run or walk one lap of the oval near the café in the centre of the park. All children taking part will receive free toothbrush and toothpaste packs, as well as T-shirts, balloons, booklets and bottles of water.
Councillor Rory Palmer, deputy city mayor with responsibility for health and well being, said: "Tooth decay, especially among children, is a major issue in Leicester, which is why we have already put together a programme of measures to help tackle that.
"These involve ensuring parents know what they can do to help, and offering children help with simple but important tasks like proper tooth-brushing."
The campaign will promote the three key messages, brushing for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste; cutting down sugary food and drinks and making regular visits to a dentist.
There will also be road show events and city libraries will run oral health-themed storytelling sessions from June 1 to 5, where every child participating will receive a free book.
In addition there will supervised tooth-brushing sessions at nurseries and children's centres, and free swaps of baby bottles for free drinking cups at all Children, Young People and Family Centres.
Jasmine Murphy, specialist in dental public health, said: "Eating well, regular dental visits and keeping up a good oral health routine are the key ways to help stop dental problems before they start.
"By running events that are fun and imaginative, we hope to inspire more people to join in the fun while adopting the good oral health messages."