Oral Health Improvement Service

Oral health is vital to overall wellbeing, enabling people to eat, speak, and socialise confidently. Poor oral health can cause pain and is linked to conditions such as pneumonia, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Despite being largely preventable, dental disease remains a significant issue, with clear social inequalities. In Blackburn with Darwen, many residents experience poor oral health throughout life.

The new service will be tiered according to available funding. The new core service (tier 1), funded by the public health grant, will maintain a preventative focus for children and young people, in line with national guidance and current local OHI strategy.

It will also extend support to vulnerable adults and older adults in care homes, reflecting Blackburn with Darwen’s life course approach. The second tier, expected to be funded by the ICB, will provide additionality to the core service by extending the offer to a greater number of settings, children and families.

The service will work with individuals, partner agencies and communities to deliver an OHI programme that meets local needs. The service should be flexible and proactive to identify opportunities for promoting good oral health for all family members, of all ages. This will play a key role in improving the oral health of Blackburn with Darwen residents and reduce known oral health inequalities in the borough.