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Brush Day & Night

Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most prevalent form of oral disease, affecting approximately 2.4 billion people worldwide, with 486 million children suffering from caries of their primary teeth. However, the condition can be prevented through managing risk factors such as having a healthy diet and adopting good oral hygiene habits, including brushing teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Tooth decay disproportionately affects people of low socio-economic status, highlighting a pressing need for oral health interventions in communities without adequate access to education or dental care.

Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most prevalent form of oral disease, with 486 million children suffering from caries of their primary teeth.

A sustainable solution to improving oral health and toothbrushing habits

Brush Day and Night (BDN) focuses on a 21-day programme to teach schoolchildren to brush twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste. It also encourages children to become community advocates and spread the message of good oral health to their families and friends. The project was launched in 2005 as Live.Learn.Laugh and carried out a broad range of oral health education activities. It was renamed Brush Day & Night in 2014 to reflect an increased focus on improving toothbrushing habits.

Project goals

Teach schoolchildren and parents about the importance of twice-daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste

Implement the 21-day programme and measure its impact on children’s oral health, hygiene and well-being

Work with National Dental Associations to leverage World Oral Health Day and raise awareness about good oral health

Project phases

Phase IV started in January 2017, and will run in 12 countries for three years. It will continue the two main project activities from Phase III:
  1. Oral health school programmes
    The 21-Day programme brings Brush Day & Night’s key messages to children, teaching them the importance of brushing twice-daily with fluoride toothpaste and encouraging them to spread the message. Children brush their teeth at school under supervision, a method that helps create a habit that will last.
    The impact of the school programme will be measured by looking at children’s oral health, hygiene and wellbeing before and after the 21 days. In Phase IV of Brush Day & Night, the school programme will run in Indonesia and Nigeria, starting in July 2017.
  2. World Oral Health Day activities
    Brush Day & Night organized World Oral Health Day celebrations in 12 countries in 2017. The events reinforce the project’s messages and offer children a platform to both learn and teach the world about toothbrushing. Activities took place in: Indonesia, Nigeria, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ghana, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Egypt, Chile and Morocco.

Activities: Education programme in schools and helping children become advocates for oral health. Measuring the impact of the programme on children’s oral health.

Number of people reached: 136 million

Activities: Promoting oral health and toothbrushing in schools and communities

Number of people reached: over 1 million

Activities: Promoting oral health and toothbrushing in schools and communities

Number of people reached: 1 million

Outreach

2005-2009

1 million

2010-2013

>1 million

2014-2016

136 million

The Brush Day & Night project is supported by Unilever.

Resources

International Dental Journal supplement

Brush Day & Night 2018 IDJ Supplement banner

Symposium

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29 August 2017 • 15:00—17:30

Brush Day & Night Symposium
The Effectiveness of the 21-day Brush Day & Night Programme Worldwide

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Related resources

Brush Day & Night: 12 years improving oral health worldwide cover

Brush Day & Night: 12 years of improving oral health worldwide

Brochures

The Brush Day & Night project advocates twice-daily toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste as one of the most important habits for good oral health and general health. For 12 years, the project has been teaching children about the benefits of good oral hygiene and how to brush their teeth, encouraging them to become community advocates and spread the message of good oral health to their families and friends.

The brochure condenses the content of the scientific article published in the International Dental Journal (IDJ), targeting a wider audience. It reports on key facts of Phase III and highlights Phase IV, which runs until December 2019.

The brochure includes executive summary of the IDJ supplement and an infographic, illustrating key facts about the methodology of the programme and the positive results of Phase III, which ran from 2014 to 2016, reaching over 4 million children and parents through 21-day oral health education programmes in schools.

The brochure offers a snapshot of a successful FDI and industry partner collaboration to improve oral health outcomes. It may be used as supporting material for FDI National Dental Associations and dentists alike to promote future educational programmes and wider oral health improvement programmes in their respective country contexts.

References: 
  1. GBD. Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet 2017;390(10100):1211–1259.
  2. World Health Organization (WHO). Oral Health Fact Sheet. 2018. Accessed October 2018.
  3. FDI World Dental Federation (2017). Promoting Oral Health Through Fluoride. Accessed October 2018.
  4. Kell K, Aymerich M-A and Horn V. FDI–Unilever Brush Day & Night partnership: 12 years of improving behaviour for better oral health. Int Dent J 2018;68(S1):3–6.
  5. Melo P, Fine C, Malone S, Frencken JE and Horn V. The effectiveness of the Brush Day and Night programme in improving children's toothbrushing knowledge and behaviour. Int Dent J 2018;68(S1):7–16.
  6. Melo P, Fine C, Malone S, and Horn V. Brush Day & Night Phase III to Phase IV: ensuring that good oral health habits are sustainable. Int Dent J 2018;68(S1):17–19.
Brush Day & Night: 10 years of partnership cover

Brush Day & Night: 10 years of partnership

Brochures

FDI World Dental Federation and Unilever Oral Care are proud to acknowledge a successful 10-year partnership to measurably improve oral health on a global scale. During that time, we are delighted to have seen it grow and have such positive effects on the lives of the children, families and communities where our educational projects have been implemented.

A healthy smile is a smile without any dental or oral diseases. However, Dental Caries is still the most widespread chronic disease worldwide. A little more than 10 years ago, FDI World Dental Federation and Unilever Oral Care came together in partnership to address this issue and to help people live fuller lives through educating them on the importance of brushing twice-daily with a fluoride toothpaste. Studies show that brushing day and night with a fluoride toothpaste can cut tooth decay up to 50% for children compared with brushing once.

In this special edition, we are taking a look at the key milestones and results over the years of the partnership, and importantly, looking ahead at what is to come in a continuation of the partnership’s aims – that of campaigning for improved oral health.