Oral health improvement strategy for priority groups

Foreword

For some groups, such as frail older people and those who are living with disability, maintaining oral health is particularly challenging.

Being homeless can also make this very difficult, as people in this situation may find achieving basic self-care problematic due to their circumstances. Using dental services in traditional ways may not be easy. People living with a disability or who are older and frail, and others who are experiencing homelessness, should have the same opportunities as others to enjoy good oral health. Such individuals should have the opportunity to prevent oral diseases and have the information they need to access services when they need to do so.

There are many effective measures we can take to prevent oral diseases if action is taken early and we have already begun to see substantial improvements in the oral health of children as the Childsmile preventive programme has been rolled out across Scotland. Many aspects of the programme could also help improve the oral health of vulnerable adults.

This Strategy introduces a range of new, specially tailored Smile programmes, targeted at preventing oral disease for these priority groups. Childsmile and the new Smile programmes will be brought together under the title Smile Scotland, ensuring a consistent approach to improving oral health across Scotland.

I look forward to seeing the increased benefits which the plans set out in the Strategy will bring as the programmes are rolled out across Scotland.

Michael Matheson
Minister for Public Health