BSPD President’s Charter launched
Striving for good oral health for EVERY child in the UK
12 November 2025
(Last updated: 12 Nov 2025 14:56)
As Dr Oosh Devalia starts her presidential year, the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) issues her BSPD President’s Charter 2025-2026, which provides guidance to policymakers to deliver ‘Good oral health for EVERY child in the UK’. This new Charter follows BSPD’s ‘Blueprint to improve children’s oral health’ which was issued in 2023. Since then a number of the Society’s recommendations have been actioned, including the roll-out of targeted supervised toothbrushing and the proposed expansion of community water fluoridation in areas of high tooth decay. So now is the right time to revise BSPD’s focus to ensure that good oral health for every child is achieved.
The Society’s message to policymakers is a list of the following nine steps. The three categories make up the 2025-2026 BSPD President’s Charter, aimed at ensuring good oral health for every child in the UK:
Immediate aims:
1. Integration of oral health into other healthcare settings, with initiatives such as Mini Mouth Care Matters (Mini MCM)
2. Enable effective & funded Managed Clinical Networks (MCN)
3. SEN Children & Young People (CYP) to be able to benefit from oral health initiatives
Development areas:
4. Expand paediatric dental workforce – including Tier 2 provision services & recruiting community-based specialists & consultants
5. Enable all Dental Care Professionals to carry out the oral health care treatments they are trained to deliver
6. Cut under 16s’ sugar consumption
Building policy foundations:
7. Every CYP should have a ‘dental home’
8. Deliver a Dental Check by One (DCby1) before every baby’s first birthday
9. Reach every child: delivering all oral health information in a language & format accessible to every CYP
This year will see BSPD’s President, Executive Committee and Regional Branches across the four nations focus attention on vulnerable groups in our communities as the priority. These groups include children diagnosed with Special Educational Needs (SEN), children in other healthcare environments with additional medical needs (for example, in hospitals), neglected children, children living in poverty, asylum seeking children in the UK and children for whom English is not their first language.
Upon her appointment as BSPD President in September, Dr Devalia announced her commitment to the ‘Mini Mouth Care Matters (Mini MCM) mission,’ with an emphasis on advocating for mandatory oral healthcare for hospitalised children. One of the Society’s immediate objectives will be to ensure that the oral health needs of children receiving care in various healthcare settings are not overlooked.
Dr Oosh Devalia, BSPD President said:
“For over 70 years, BSPD has been advocating for children’s good oral health, and whilst we welcome interventions this year such as supervised toothbrushing and the proposed expansion of community water fluoridation, it is essential we ensure every child receives the oral healthcare support they deserve. This means addressing the oral health of children in health and social care settings, which can often be neglected. Recognising the importance of caring for a child’s mouth whilst they are in hospital as standard practice is a sound preventative approach, and should be the responsibility of the broader team of healthcare professionals. This is core to the Mini Mouth Care Matters programme which I created seven years ago.
“We must also ensure that neurodiverse children can be guided to look after their teeth and gums, as well as help them take part in the supervised toothbrushing programme. It is our duty to ensure that children who are vulnerable due to whatever their challenges, are properly enabled to have and maintain good oral health.”
Ends
Contact: Kate Clark, BSPD Media Consultant, kate@kateclarkpr.co.uk | 07990 525639 | media@bspd.co.uk
Note to editors:
About Mini Mouth Care Matters:
Mini MCM is an initiative designed to systematically implement and assess the effectiveness of evidence-based oral health practices within hospital settings. Building on the established principles from the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit, Mini MCM aims to demonstrate how these practices can be embedded effectively and sustainably in hospital environments. The programme empowers medical and allied health professionals to ensure that oral health becomes an integral part of holistic patient care in new clinical contexts. Launched in July 2019, Mini MCM has since been expanded to numerous healthcare settings and is endorsed by BSPD and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). However, Oosh’s mission is to go further and push for Mini MCM to receive systemwide support and become part of the standard healthcare toolkit, and she is dedicated to supporting initiatives that improve outcomes for those most at risk.
About Dr Devalia:
Dr Devalia is a Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry, recognised for her clinical expertise, leadership, and dedication to improving oral health for children and vulnerable groups across the UK. Amongst other roles, Dr Devalia serves as Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at the Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, and as Consultant & Strategic Clinical Lead for Community Dental Services CiC across the East of England. She holds the role of Managed Clinical Network (MCN) Chair for Paediatric Dentistry for NHS England (East of England), Chairs the National Paediatric Dental MCN forum, and is the National Lead for Mini Mouth Care Matters (Mini MCM). She is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and has achieved Chartered Manager status. She is committed to continuous professional development and has undertaken advanced training and leadership programmes, including a diploma in clinical hypnosis - an invaluable skill for managing patients with severe dental anxiety. Her educational pursuits also include Level 5 & Level 7 Senior Leadership and Management Programmes and an Executive MBA. Most recently, she completed a six-week course on Health Economics and Policy at the London School of Economics, reflecting her commitment to both clinical and strategic excellence. She is currently studying Global Health Policy with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
About BSPD
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has an established place in the dental profession thanks to the dedication of dentists stretching back over 70 years. BSPD’s mission is to improve the oral health of children and young people. The Society’s executive committee provides strategic direction in line with our 3-year plan and oversees our engagement with other special interest groups and political decision makers. BSPD is now in a strong position to campaign for and implement improvements in children’s oral health in the UK. BSPD membership has grown steadily over the last few years with a broadened profile. Anyone in the dental profession with an interest in children’s oral health is welcome to join the Society. There are full and associate membership categories which encompass our growing groups of members. These include dentists, dental care professionals (DCPs), dental and DCP students, international members and all members of the dental team. We are clear that you do not need to have a dental qualification to be a member of BSPD, just a genuine passion for children’s dentistry.
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