Mini Mouth Care Matters e-learning to support health visiting teams in promoting oral health in the early years

Mini Mouth Care Matters is a national oral health improvement programme designed to embed routine mouth care into the work of non-dental professionals. This e-learning has been developed to support health visitors and their teams in promoting good oral health from the earliest years of life.

The programme covers the importance of oral health for babies, toddlers and young children, and introduces the 'lift the lip' mouth check as a simple, practical tool to identify early signs of tooth decay and other problems in the mouth. Learners will gain confidence in providing evidence-based advice to families on diet, oral hygiene and fluoride, and in recognising when a child may need onward referral to a dental professional.

By completing this e-learning, health visiting teams will be better equipped to have meaningful oral health conversations as part of their everyday practice, supporting early intervention, reducing health inequalities, and improving outcomes for children and families across the early years.