Evening Telegraph (First Edition)

Help kids return to school with clean teeth

Dental hygiene poverty is on the rise – here’s what you can do to help

I felt like a bad mum because I couldn’t provide the basics for my children

With the cost of living still rising, more of us are having to choose between paying for food and bills, or buying basic toiletries. Hygiene poverty – which now affects over 4 million UK adults – can have a negative impact on both physical and mental health.

These are among the findings of a recent report by The Hygiene Bank*, the grassroots charity seeking to tackle the issue of hygiene poverty.

One respondent said, “I endure skin complaints and dental problems because I can’t afford essentials like soap and toothpaste.”

“I felt like a terrible mum because I was unable to provide the basics for my children,” said another.

Children’s dentist and Colgate ambassador Dr Julia Hurry says, “I’ve seen families with multiple children who are sharing one toothbrush between them. In some areas of England almost one in two five-year-olds have obvious holes in their teeth. With reduced access to basic toothbrush­ing tools, this is likely to get even higher.”

That’s why Boots, in partnershi­p with Colgate and The Hygiene Bank, has launched its Brush with Boots campaign. As it celebrates its 175th birthday, it is donating 175,000 of its own-brand toothbrush­es and tubes of toothpaste to The Hygiene Bank to distribute to families pulled into hygiene poverty.

And you can help too. Boots has created donation points in over 500 of its stores, so you can pop in, buy a toothbrush, toothpaste or other oral hygiene items and add them to the box.

Boots is the official retail partner of The Hygiene Bank. Since joining forces in 2019 they have been working together to help end hygiene poverty.