Students at Ballaugh School receive treatment from Smile of Mann team
In a bid to reduce tooth decay in children on the Island, a programme to provide fluoride varnish treatments for primary schools is getting underway.
The Smile of Mann initiative will be delivered by a dedicated team every six months, and offered to children from Reception to Year 6.
The Children's Oral Health Report, published in 2025, found a higher level of tooth decay in five year olds on the Isle of Man than in the UK.
Fluoride varnish is proven to prevent tooth decay and dental cavities; it's pain free, takes five minutes and will be applied by a qualified dental nurse in school settings.
Parents and carers were asked to complete consent forms before the treatment was provided.
The total cost of the programme for 18 months is around £286,000, which includes the recruitment of four limited-term appointments and all materials and costs for the programme and dental survey.
Dr Ross Keat is a consultant in Public Health and also a dentist:
"The really shocking statistic that made me aware that something needed to be done was the number of children who are going through hospital to have multiple teeth out under general anaesthetic every year is over 100." - Daphne Caine, Education Minister
Education Minister Daphne Caine says something needed to be done:
"Say 'cheese'!" - Even Harry Potter has to think about his oral hygiene.
These school pupils told Manx Radio what the fluoride varnish tasted like:
"We're at Ashley Hill next week, so we've got a lot of children to see, which is brilliant!"
Smile of Mann team members Rosemarie Cuskeran, Kerstin Davin, and Isabella Sime explain how the initiative has been received so far:
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