National Expand The Swallows Head & Neck Cancer Support Charity Business First Lancaster House Amy Johnson Way Blackpool FY4 2RP [email protected] Support Line 07504 725059 Mouth Cancer Foundation Head Office: 020 8940 5680 Patient carer advice line: 01924 950950 [email protected] The National Association of Laryngectomee Clubs c/o The Ludo Press Ltd Unit 18, Wimbledon Stadium Business Centre Riverside Road London SW17 0BA [email protected] / 0207 730 8585 View all of their regional support groups here. Macmillan Head and Neck Cancer Forum Joining this online forum requires creating an online account with Macmillan. https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/head-neck-cancer-forum Macmillan Support Line 0808 808 0000 Heads2gether www.heads2gether.net Changing Faces Support line 0300 0120275 [email protected] www.changingfaces.org.uk Headstart Head & Neck Cancer Support headstartcancersupport.org.uk [email protected]
Digital guides for better oral health Learn more about your oral health with these shareable digital guides. Expand Discover our comprehensive series of digital guides designed to improve your oral health. Whether you’re looking to improve your brushing technique, learn about interdental cleaning, or explore tips for maintaining healthy gums, our guides cover it all. Download them today and take a step toward a brighter, healthier smile! Healthy Mouth, Healthy You This is our latest digital guide, created alongside the wonderful EMS.Did you know that caring for your teeth doesn’t just give you a healthy smile? It could help improve your whole-body health, too. Now is the perfect time to focus on how your oral health impacts your entire body. A healthy smile isn’t just about looking good; it’s about maintaining overall health. The effectiveness of your oral hygiene can influence various conditions that affect other parts of the body – known as systemic diseases – making it essential to take care of your mouth. Regular professional dental cleaning, along with proper dental care at home, play a crucial role in this. Oral health and systemic disease Taking care of your oral health is about more than your mouth. Getting children interested in oral health It is not always easy, but it is essential to help your little ones build healthy habits which last a lifetime. Digital Guide to Healthy Gums We teamed up with Corsodyl toothpaste, to give you some great tips for healthier gums. Digital Guide to Better Brushing It’s so simple. Twice daily toothbrushing is the most important thing you can do for your smile Digital Guides to Dental Erosion By learning about the effects of dental erosion, as well as how to spot and manage it, we can make healthier choices. Infographic: Sustainable Oral Health Products We teamed up with TePe to look at some of the most interesting stats when it comes to our toothbrushes, and what they may be doing to our planet. Infographic: Interdental Cleaning Are the UK’s oral health habits really something to smile about? Here’s what our research says about how British adults are caring for their smile. Extra Guides Diabetes and oral health (PNG 753KB) Pregnancy and oral health (PNG 731KB) Autism and oral health (PNG 755KB) Mental and oral health (PNG 740KB) Deafness and oral health (PNG 740KB) Blindness and oral health (PNG 730KB) Sports and oral health (PNG 800KB)
Season 1 Episode 3 - Dental Erosion Dr Ben Atkins is once again joined by Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, and Dr Saoirse O'Toole, a Clinical Lecturer at King's College London, to discuss the topic of dental erosion. Some of the items covered are what dental erosion is, how common it is and what causes it. What the consequences of dental erosion are to our health, and importantly how we can go about preventing it. Expand Listen using the player above or you can subscribe to us on any of these networks:
Denture Adhesives Guidelines Expand By 2050 there are expected to be two billion people aged 60 years or older. This is more than double today’s figure. The older you are, the more likely you are to have lost all, or nearly all, your natural teeth. Research shows that around the world there are almost no guidelines on the proper use of denture adhesives by people who wear full dentures. This means denture wearers can be left without any guidance on how best to use denture adhesives. Also, the advice on the type of adhesive to use, how to apply it, how much to use, how often to use it and how to remove it varies tremendously. Misusing or overusing adhesive may have consequences – but making the best use of it can improve quality of life, quality of diet and overall wellbeing for full-denture wearers. Therefore, we have developed guidelines to guide dental health care professionals, caregivers and patients on the optimal use of denture adhesive creams. These are supported by best evidence and based on consensus from key international experts. Key findings The panel explored a number of issues about denture adhesives. Here are some of the conclusions: Patient satisfaction has become a decisive factor for the overall success of prosthodontic treatment in full-denture wearers. Denture adhesives can enhance the retention of, and reduce food accumulation beneath, well-fitting complete dentures. Denture adhesives can be beneficial to the patient. They may enhance comfort, provide psychological satisfaction, increase confidence and thus wellbeing, while increasing retention and stability, and improving function. The effectiveness of denture adhesives cannot compensate for significant denture deficiencies. Dental professionals should provide guidance and instructions to the patient on the correct application and use of the adhesive, and on removing it and cleaning the denture. The optimum time to advise on the use of an adhesive varies between patients. For well-fitting dentures it might occur at a review appointment, or for patients finding problems with compliance at the time of fitting or soon after. Funding for the development of these guidelines was provided by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to the Oral Health Foundation. No editorial control, apart from ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory considerations/requirements, has been exercised by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Summary of guidelines The guidelines are supported by best evidence and based on consensus from key international experts. Four key steps to optimal denture care, summarised in the below and available in full here, were concluded: Make sure your denture is clean and dry. Put a small amount of denture adhesive cream onto it (you should only need to do this once a day). Put the denture into your mouth and firmly close the mouth for a couple of seconds. If the adhesive cream overflows you have used too much. Remove any spare adhesive, don’t swallow it. Don’t eat or drink anything for 5 minutes. Before you sleep, take your denture out. Clean the denture and the inside of your mouth thoroughly to remove any adhesive. Ask your dentist for a regular appointment so they can check your mouth and dentures. Resources Guidelines for the Use of Denture Adhesives and their benefits for Oral and General Health (PDF 2MB) Infographic: Simple steps on how to apply a Denture Adhesive (PDF 2MB) Useful information Denture cleaning guidelines Learn more about dentures Q&A on denture cleaning Find out about denture stomatitis Acknowledgements Funding for the development of these guidelines was provided by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to the Oral Health Foundation. No editorial control, apart from ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory considerations/requirements, has been exercised by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
Denture Care Guidelines Expand By 2050 there are expected to be two billion people aged 60 or older. This is more than double today’s figure. The older you are, the more likely you are to have lost all, or nearly all, your natural teeth. This means the demand for full or partial dentures is expected to increase. A comprehensive review of scientific and evidence-based research has found contradictory guidance and a lack of consistency in the recommendations for cleaning and maintaining dentures. We have therefore developed global guidelines on optimal denture care, so that correct advice can be given to patients. Key findings The panel explored a number of issues, including; the challenges denture-wearers face, problems with current guidance and the evidence which is available. Here are some of the conclusions: A lack of denture cleanliness can lead to poorer oral health, as well as general health problems. The general cleaning habits of denture-wearers remains poor. People with dentures are using a variety of ways to clean their dentures. This ranges from soap and water to toothpastes, bleaches and commercial products. Recommendations to both dental professionals and denture wearers vary between countries and within a country, and usually rely on personal experience. Also, opinion leaders provide contradictory guidance for cleaning and maintaining dentures. Funding for the development of these guidelines was provided by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to the Oral Health Foundation. No editorial control, apart from ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory considerations/requirements, has been exercised by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. Summary of guidelines The guidelines are supported by best evidence and based on consensus from key international experts. Four key steps to optimal denture care, summarised in the below graphic and available in full here, were concluded: Daily cleaning of the dentures using mechanical action – brushing with a toothbrush or denture brush and an effective, non-abrasive denture cleanser (no dentifrice). Daily soaking in a denture-cleansing solution – this seems to deliver extra chemical breakdown of the remaining plaque and some level of disinfection of the denture. Denture-cleansing solutions should only be used outside the mouth, and denture wearers should strictly follow the manufacturers’ guidelines. Denture wearers should not keep their dentures in the mouth overnight, unless there are specific reasons for keeping them in. This guideline is even more important for people at a higher risk of developing stomatitis and for frail or institutionalised older people. Soaking in a denture cleanser solution after mechanical cleaning seems to be beneficial for preventing denture stomatitis and the potential risk of pneumonia events in these groups of people. All patients who wear removable dentures should be enrolled into a regular recall and maintenance programme with their dental professional. Resources Denture Care Guidelines (pdf 352KB) Denture Care Infographic (pdf 203KB) Useful information Learn more about dentures Q&A on denture cleaning Find out about denture stomatitis Acknowledgements Funding for the development of these guidelines was provided by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to the Oral Health Foundation. No editorial control, apart from ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory considerations/requirements, has been exercised by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
I want to fundraise for the Oral Health Foundation. How do I get involved? Expand Start by taking a look at our top fundraising ideas to help inspire you to get involved. If you’re not sure what you want to do, send us a message and we’ll be in touch to help you find the fundraising activity that’s perfect for you. Take a look at what else is going on to see if you can attach your fundraising event to a certain cause. Perhaps you can arrange your event during National Smile Month or Mouth Cancer Action Month? You could even look at calendar events like World Oral Health Day as inspiration of when to hold your event. Next you should think about what you would like to raise money for. Take a look at our range of appeals to see what we're raising money for at this time. Once you have decided what you are doing, when and for which cause, go to our create a fundraising page. This page will allow you to enter all your event details and share it with your friends and family so they can donate and support you. You can even upload photos and videos of your journey along the way! If you need anymore help, check out our planning your event page. We are also on hand to offer support and advice to help you to your fundraising goals. Simply contact our press team. More information: Our appeals Create a fundraising page Planning your event Contact our press team
How do I make a donation? Expand You can send us your donations in various ways, whichever is most convenient for you. The safest and quickest way you can send us your money is online through our donations portal. Simply select which appeal you would like to donate to and enter the amount you have raised for us. You can also pay in your money offline too. If you have collected money through a sponsorship form or a fundraising event, you can either send us your card details via our donation form, or send us a cheque with our paying in slip. Both of these forms (links below) will guide you about where to send your donations. For your security, please do not send us cash in the post. Finally, you can issue a bank transfer. If you would like to do this, contact our team and we will guide you through this process. More information: Donate to the Oral Health Foundation Donate to our other causes Donation form Paying in slip Payroll giving
How will you use the funds I've raised? Expand You can be assured that your fundraising goes to exactly where you want it to. As a charity we are entirely open and honest with our intentions and show you what your fundraising goes towards. Your donations make a huge difference in creating healthy smiles to more people around the world. By donating you join a wide range of wonderful people and organisations who are passionate about helping to promote and improve oral health. Dental care professionals, practices, non-health businesses, schools and other education bodies, large business and, importantly, members of the public, all help us to deliver our messages and we greatly welcome your support too. You are the reason we can continue to offer vital services which help promote and improve oral health. If you’d like more detail on how we raise and spend our money, take a look at the links below. More information: Oral Health Foundation Impact Report Why support us? Our mission and values Our appeals
How should I raise and collect funds? Expand You can set up a personalised online by creating your very own donation page. This offers a really easy way for people to sponsor you and add messages of support to spur you on when the training gets tough. When creating your own fundraising page you can select where your money goes. You can choose to donate it to the Oral Health Foundation in general, to help us achieve all our charitable objectives, or select one of our rotating appeals, which help go towards a specific cause. You can then share your page on Facebook and Twitter to get the word out to all your friends and family. If you’re looking a bit low tech, we can also help support you with collection tins to collect some cash. You can also download and print off one of our sponsorship forms. More information: Create a fundraising page Sponsorship forms [Oral Health Foundation | Mouth Cancer Action Month | National Smile Month] Contact our press team
I need help promoting my event. Can you help me? Expand Yes. Our team is on hand to help you ensure your fundraising is as successful as it can be. From providing posters, sponsorship forms, social media and press release templates, help is on hand to help spread awareness. Here are our quick tips to making your event the talk of the town... Use local media: Local newsletters, daily papers, radio stations and television in your area are always keen on covering events for a good cause, so make them aware of the details of your event in good time! Some ingenious advertising of your own can also increase your audience. Hand out flyers: A cheap, effective way of promoting your event is to hand out flyers a few weeks in advance. Make them as interesting as possible: include all the key information such as the date, venue and type of event you have planned. Make sure people know about your event! Smile for the camera: Think about photo opportunities – local papers love to use fun, entertaining photos as a basis for covering of local events. Book a photographer, because a good photo is a great way of generating media coverage and makes an excellent memento of your successful event. Write a press release: Why not send out a press release too? It’s an excellent means of promoting a good oral healthcare message through your local media outlets to a large, local audience. Go social: Post about your event on social media. Create a fundraising page on our website and ask people to share it. You might be surprised about far far and wide it goes. Need more of a helping hand? That’s no problem. Contact our dedicated PR team who are experts in making some noise around events. Together we can help guide you on your fundraising journey. More information: Create a fundraising page Editable event poster Social media image cards [download Twitter | Facebook | Instagram cards].
Season 1 Episode 2 - Diet and Teeth Dr Ben Atkins is once again joined by Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, and Dr Saoirse O'Toole, a Clinical Lecturer at King's College London, to discuss the topic of diet and your teeth. Expand Listen using the player above or you can subscribe to us on any of these networks:
Annual Reviews & Impact Reports Expand Our Impact Report gives you a brief overview about some of our activities and achievements in improving the oral health and wellbeing over a year. Thank you to everybody who made last year a success, we could not do it without your support. Oral Health Foundation Impact Report 16/17 [View Impact Report] Archive Impact Reports Oral Health Foundation Impact Report 15/16 Oral Health Foundation Impact Report 14/15 Oral Health Foundation Impact Report 13/14 Oral Health Foundation Impact Report 12/13
Fundraising & donating Expand We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get the most out of your fantastic fundraising efforts. The below materials can be freely downloaded and help you shout about your achievements and get some support too! Sponsorship form: Get your family, friends and colleagues to support you with a donation [download sponsorship form]. Event poster: Print this poster, fill in your details and pin it up to give your event some extra exposure [download editable event poster]. Social media post: Share your success online with this image card. Post it on your social media account, along with your fundraising page, which you can create here [download Twitter | Facebook | Instagram cards]. Donation form: If you have raised or collected money in person, download this form, fill in your details and send it back to us. This form will allow us to safely collect a one-off donation from your bank account [download donation form]. Paying in slip: If you would like to donate to us via a cheque, complete and return this form to us, after your fundraising activity has finished. The form also allows you to tell us about any online donations from your supporters so that we can add up the total amount you have raised for us [download paying in slip]. Payroll giving form: As an alternative to supporting us through regular direct debits, you can donate to the Oral Health Foundation through Payroll Giving. This allows you to support us with a regular donation direct from your pay and is a cheaper way of donating as it is tax free [download payroll giving form]. If there's anything else you are looking for or need, do not hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +44 (0)1788 539792 or contact us online. Useful links: Fundraising ideas Planning your event Create a fundraising page
Puzzles & games Expand If you are looking to take oral health messages into a classroom, or other educational settings, interactive games are a great way to engage young people about the importance of a healthy mouth. The below downloads are free for you to print and use. Toothpaste Test: How many words can you make from the word toothpaste? [download our Toothpaste Test] Memory Match: Sample text about Memory Match [download Memory Match]. Show Your Teeth You Care: Fill in the missing words to complete the sentences [download our Show Your Teeth You Care]. Trace the Paste: Follow five different lines and discover which letter leads to the toothpaste [download Trace the Paste]. Wordsearch: A simple wordsearch filled with dental words [download Wordsearch].
Fact sheets & information Expand The Oral Health Foundation’s experts analyse the very latest peer-reviewed research so that we can give you the very best advice and guidance about how to look after your oral health. Toothbrushes: The toothbrush is the most effective way to maintain good oral health so it is important to pick the correct one for your needs. Here are the factors to take into consideration when choosing a toothbrush [download 'Toothbrushes' fact sheet]. Toothpaste: A pea-sized blob of fluoride toothpaste goes a long way to protecting your teeth from decay. Learn about what is in your toothpaste and what different ingredients and formulations do [download 'Toothpaste' fact sheet]. Mouthwashes: This document explains what role mouthwash can play in your oral health routine and what the key ingredients are [download 'Mouthwashes' fact sheet]. NHS dental complaints: How to make a complaint on your NHS dental treatment [download 'NHS Dental Complaints' fact sheet]. Private dental complaints: Proceeding with a complaint against private dental services [download 'Private Complaints' fact sheet]. Prevention: The importance of prevention in oral health [dowload prevention advice fact sheet]. Engaging children: Get children interested in oral health [download 'Engaging Children' fact sheet].
Dental Buddy & schools Expand Dental Buddy has been created by dental professionals and is completely free. The programme can be taught in the classroom or at home. There are materials specially created for Early Years' Education (0-5 years), Key Stage One (5-7 years) and Key Stage Two (7-11 years). These downloads are useful for dental professionals visiting schools. They are also perfect for parents and teachers - you need no background in oral health to teach Dental Buddy. Please fill out this form to access our dental buddy resources
Policy statements Expand The Oral Health Foundation is an independent charity with policy steered by the organisation’s industry experts the very latest peer-reviewed research. Our policy statements take a view on a particular issue in relation to oral health. Oral Health Foundation on Water Fluoridation (2018): Water fluoridation is the act of adding fluoride to the supply of drinking water [view policy | download policy]. Oral Health Foundation on Dental Amalgam (2018): Dental amalgam is a liquid mercury and metal alloy mixture used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay [view policy | download policy]. Oral Health Foundation on Tooth Whitening (2018): Tooth whitening is the procedure of lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surface [view policy | download policy].
Is it legal for me to offer tooth whitening? Expand No, it is not legal for anyone other than a dentist (or dental hygienist or dental therapist working to the prescriptions of a dentist) to carry out tooth whitening.
Why is it not legal? Tooth whitening seems so simple! Expand Dental professionals train for many years to understand the strictures of the mouth, to recognise dental disease and to prescribe the correct treatment for each individual patient. The chemicals used to whiten the teeth could permanently damage the teeth and gums. To protect the public against this type of damage, the person providing the treatment must be fully dentally qualified and registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) .
I am not using hydrogen peroxide, so tooth whitening cannot be illegal, can it? Expand Yes, it doesn't matter whether hydrogen peroxide or non-peroxide is used, it's a view confirmed by the High Court that tooth whitening is dentistry. Subsequently, even if you are using below the legal limit of hydrogen peroxide or a product which does not release hydrogen peroxide, you will still be breaking the law and putting your clients at risk. Products used by a dental professional have been thoroughly tested for many years and have been proven to work without being harmful to the teeth or gums. At best, other untested products that you may be using will not be effective and at worst, they could cause permanent damage.
What products can I use as a dentist to carry out the tooth whitening? Expand You can legally use products containing or releasing between 0.1% and 6% hydrogen peroxide. This equates to between 0.3% and 16.62% carbamide peroxide.
Would my insurance cover me if I carried out tooth whitening? Expand No. The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) states that they will not insure for tooth whitening as there is no government-recognised qualification for this treatment. It is very unlikely that any other insurance company would cover you for a treatment that has been proven in the High Court to be illegal.
Who should I contact if I need more advice on the EU law on tooth whitening? Expand Contact your indemnity insurance provider, or get independent legal advice.
What will happen if I break the law? Expand The GDC does not bring criminal prosecutions for breaches of the Regulations because Trading Standards are responsible for this. However, the GDC is concerned with the fitness to practice of its members. It takes the view that if a practitioner has committed a criminal offence, this must be relevant to any assessment of that practitioners fitness to practice whether or not there has been a prosecution. Therefore, if we receive information or a complaint that a registrant is using a product for cosmetic reasons that has more than the 6% limit they may face fitness-to-practice proceedings. They can also expect to have the matter referred to the relevant Trading Standards department.