School fluoride varnish programme

What is the school fluoride varnish programme?

The Fluoride Varnish programme is provided in participating nurseries and schools to young children and aims to help prevent tooth decay, which is still very common in Tower Hamlets. 

These applications in nursery and school are in addition to fluoride varnish received at the dentist and safely give added protection to your child’s teeth.

How do we apply fluoride varnish?

• We will ask you to consent for your child to be included in our fluoride varnish programme – you will receive information from your child’s school to complete and return your consent via an online or paper form.
• We will check it is safe to apply fluoride varnish to your child and if we are not able to apply the coating for any reason, we will let you know.
• The check we do is not a full dental check up but if we notice any problems we will write to you to let you know
• This is all done at your child’s school, during the school day
• Our team of dental therapists apply the fluoride varnish to your child’s teeth
• Our equipment is single-use only – we use new equipment and gloves for each child
• Most children are happy with the application and want to join in, but if your child is unhappy or refusing the varnish we will stop immediately

Children should eat breakfast on the day as normal.