Children's Teeth Suffering as a Result of Hygiene Poverty

Thursday 29 August 2024, UK: Boots and The Hygiene Bank have launched an urgent appeal for donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste to support children back to school.

Boots will donate 175,000 toothbrushes and toothpaste to The Hygiene Bank and has teamed up with TV personality Josie Gibson to encourage the public to donate too via donation points in its stores. The Hygiene Bank will distribute all the donations to schools and projects that support young people in the UK throughout September. Boots has also launched a range of educational resources for oral health on the Boots Health Hub.

According to figures from The Hygiene Bank, over 4.2 million people in the UK are living in hygiene poverty, which means they cannot afford many of the everyday hygiene and personal grooming products most of us take for granted.1

The Hygiene Bank’s study shows a direct link between hygiene poverty and children’s oral health. Nearly a third (29%) of parents experiencing hygiene poverty have reported changes or a reduction in the quality of dental care products for their children due to financial constraints in the last year, one in four (23%) say their children’s oral hygiene has worsened and one in five (19%) say their children have missed school due to oral hygiene issues. Poor oral hygiene can lead to more serious dental health problems, with tooth decay being one of the leading reasons for hospital admissions in children today.

Josie Gibson said:

It’s heartbreaking to see that there are kids out there that are going without basic dental products and the impact this is having on their health and education. I’m proud to support Boots and The Hygiene Bank to help ensure that every child has access to the dental care they need, and I strongly encourage everyone that can to donate un-opened dental essential products at their local Boots store so that every child can go back to school with a healthy smile.

Anthony Hemmerdinger, Retail Director at Boots said: 

Our founder Jesse Boot strongly believed that everyone should have access to soap and a sponge and we remain committed to supporting everyone’s right to basic hygiene essentials in our 175th anniversary year. Our latest campaign with The Hygiene Bank aims to tackle the impact of hygiene poverty on children’s oral health as they go back to school and as well as donating 175,000 dental products ourselves, we encourage our customers to get involved too by donating products.

Ruth Brock, CEO of The Hygiene Bank said:

Hygiene poverty can have a devastating impact on children’s oral health, impacting their well-being, confidence, school attendance, and long-term health. We urgently need more toothpastes and toothbrushes to distribute to schools and projects that support young people in the UK. The donation from Boots is an incredible help, but with further donations from the public we can help even more children get access to the products they need to keep their teeth healthy.

Nicolette Nixon, who runs a youth club in Hackney that has received donations of toothbrushes and toothpastes from Boots via The Hygiene Bank, said:

Some of the parents that bring their children to the youth club here are really struggling financially. They are having to make difficult decisions between buying food for their families and buying hygiene essentials like toothbrushes and toothpastes. The donations from Boots provide these kids with access to the basic products they need to keep their teeth clean and healthy as they go back to school.

Looking at hygiene poverty more broadly, The Hygiene Bank has found that two in three (65%) parents experiencing hygiene poverty are forced to choose between purchasing hygiene products for themselves or their children. Over two-thirds (68%) of those living without basic toiletries feel ashamed and nearly three in four (73%) feel embarrassed.

The campaign from Boots and The Hygiene Bank, called Brush with Boots, is supported by Colgate. To find out which Boots stores have The Hygiene Bank donation points, visit boots.com.

1. All research commissioned by The Hygiene Bank, March 2024 on 1517 adults. All figures are from YouGov Plc. See end of release for question detail.