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.
is the number of children suffering from caries of their primary teeth, making tooth decay (dental caries) the most prevalent form of oral disease.
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
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 phases
The Talk to a Dentists programme is for the whole family – adults and children and has two essential components:
- Advice about how to adopt a good oral hygiene routine
- Dental consultation, application of preventive measures and provision of basic dental treatment, with no costs for beneficiaries of the programme. In 2023 the project is running in collaboration with the National Dental Association and the local Unilever team in 9 countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.
Phase 5 continued the two main project activities from Phase 4: 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. World Oral Health Day activities Brush Day & Night organized World Oral Health Day celebrations in 11 countries in 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many of the planned events were disrupted. In 2022, the programme transitioned to the Talk to a Dentist programme, providing free advice to the public about how to adopt a good oral hygiene routine. This also included the provision of free basic dental treatment. The project was piloted in Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
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:
- 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. - 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
Resources
Brush Day & Night Partnership
The impact of school oral healthprogrammes on children’s knowledge,behaviour and oral health.
The Brush Day and Night project is supported by:
