Simple Signposting to Better Health and Wellbeing

Self-care and National Support Services

Self-Care - Adults

Healthy brushing advice: (Click here for further information)

• brush at least twice daily, last thing at night and at least on one other occasion with a fluoridated toothpaste
• spit out after brushing and do not rinse (Spit, Don’t Rinse!), to maintain fluoride concentration levels
• use fluoridated toothpaste (1,350-1,500ppm fluoride)

Eat Well (See Act section of MECC Link – Healthy Eating)

Quit Smoking (See Act section of MECC Link - Smoking)

Reduce your Alcohol intake (See Act section of MECC Link - Alcohol)

NHS Dental Services

Routine dental care:

Not all dental practices will be able to take on new NHS patients. Some manage waiting lists and details can be provided by the practice.

You may also wish to see a dentist privately and practices can provide details regarding how you may access care including treatment costs.

• The NHS website enables you to find local NHS services, including dentists. You will need to contact the dental practice directly and check whether they are currently accepting NHS patients

Urgent dental care:

• call your dentist: some practices offer appointments at short notice
• if you don't have a dentist, find one using NHS 111

Community Dental Services

Community Dental Services in Yorkshire provide consultant-led paediatric and special care dentistry to children and adults with more complex needs, whose care cannot be managed by high street NHS dental practice teams. This includes children and adults with physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, psychological and/or emotional or social impairment or disability, or more often a combination of these through including children with more complex dental needs.  A list of Community Dental Services can be found in the Local Support and contact details below.

Patients can be referred in by health and social care professionals including NHS dental practices, hospital dental services, paediatricians, General Medical Practitioners, Community Mental Health Nurses, Health Visitors, District and School Nurses, Health and Social Care Services. Direct access referrals can be made by social care teams in nursing and care homes. 

Oral Health Improvement

Local authorities in Yorkshire provide or commission a range of oral health promotion programmes to improve the oral health and general health of their local populations. They also integrate oral health across the range of programmes and services that they deliver. Contact details for Oral Health Promotion Teams covering individual local authority areas can be found below.

Self-Care Children

Healthy brushing advice: (Click here for further information)

• brush at least twice daily, last thing at night and at least on one other occasion with a fluoridated toothpaste
• spit out after brushing and do not rinse (Spit, Don’t Rinse!), to maintain fluoride concentration levels
• use fluoridated toothpaste:
  • Children aged up to 3 years: use a smear of toothpaste containing no less than 1000 parts per million fluoride
  • Children aged over 3 years use a pea size amount of fluoride toothpaste containing 1350 -1500 parts per million fluoride

Try and keep within the recommended intake of free sugars which is no more than:

• 19g (5 sugar cubes) per day for 4 to 6 year olds
• 24g (6 sugar cubes) per day for 6 to 10 year olds
• 30g (7 sugar cubes) per day for 11 years and older

NHS Dental Services

Routine dental care:

• The NHS website enables you to find local NHS services, including dentists. You will need to  contact the dental practice directly and check whether they are currently accepting NHS patients
• Take your child to the dentist when their first teeth come through
• Take your child with you when you visit the dentist, so they may receive preventive dental care

Urgent dental care:

• call your dentist: some practices offer appointments at short notice
• if you don't have a dentist, find one using NHS 111

Community Dental Services

Community Dental Services in Yorkshire provide consultant-led paediatric and special care dentistry to children and adults with more complex needs, whose care cannot be managed by high street NHS dental practice teams. This includes children and adults with physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, psychological and/or emotional or social impairment or disability, or more often a combination of these through including children with more complex dental needs.  A list of Community Dental Services can be found in the Local Support and contact details below.

Patients can be referred in by health and social care professionals including NHS dental practices, hospital dental services, paediatricians, General Medical Practitioners, Community Mental Health Nurses, Health Visitors, District and School Nurses, Health and Social Care Services. Direct access referrals can be made by social care teams in nursing and care homes. 

Oral Health Improvement

Local authorities in Yorkshire provide or commission a range of oral health promotion programmes to improve the oral health and general health of their local populations. They also integrate oral health across the range of programmes and services that they deliver. Contact details for Oral Health Promotion Teams covering individual local authority areas can be found below.

Local Support Services

Humber & North Yorkshire

North Lincolnshire and NE Lincolnshire

Community Dental Service - North Lincolnshire and Goole

Generic contact email for all queries: nlg-tr.communitydentalservice@nhs.net

Oral Health Improvement  - North Lincs and North East Lincs:

Oral Health Promotion is provided by the NLAG Community Dental Service who can be contacted via their main dental website: Community dental - Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

Hull and East Riding

Community Dental Service - Hull and East Riding

Oral Health Improvement - North YorkshireFor local support around Oral Health and Dentists in North Yorkshire, visit Dentists and oral health | North Yorkshire Council

Community Dental Service - North Yorkshire

The community dental service is a specialised service that provides dental treatment for children, adults and older people who, because of additional needs such as learning disabilities, physical disabilities or vulnerability, are unable to access general dental care. Community Dental Service - Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (hdft.nhs.uk) or telephone 01423 649720.

Learning and Development 

An E-learning module for Children & Families Services, Early Years, and Health professionals on Children’s oral health advice is available Children's Oral Health - elearning for healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk)

If you are an employee of North Yorkshire Council or Harrogate District Foundation Trust and supporting children and young people there are 3 bite-sized e-learning modules available to access on your internal learning platforms – 0-7 Oral Health, 8-19 Oral Health and Oral health for children and young people with additional needs.

The modules provide essential information about the importance of oral health for children and young people as well as how to maintain good oral health routines. The course for professionals supporting children and young people with additional needs includes essential information about the common oral health factors that affect children and young people with learning disabilities and additional needs, and how to support them to maintain a healthy mouth.