Since 2017 oral health information resource packs have been provided by the Dental Health Foundation as part of the Pre-School Services on the Healthy Ireland Smart Start Programme. The Pre-school Health Promotion training programme is the result of over a decade of collaborative working led by the HSE Department of Health Promotion and Improvement in partnership with National Childhood Network, to ensure children in the pre-school settings are supported to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours in early childhood. The programme is aimed at children aged 3 to 5 years old, to improve the level of oral health of pre-school children.
The Training Programme reflects the aim of the Healthy Ireland Framework to bring all people together into a national movement with a single aim to ensure the best possible health and well-being of our nation
In conjunction with the HSE Oral Health Department the National Childrens Network is now piloting a new programme for the 0-3 age group under the Healthy Ireland Smart Start programme. The Pilot is running across 5 counties for December 2019 and the Dental Health Foundation provides the Tooth Tips poster for 0-2 year olds, in support of the programme.