A NEW 'Healthy Teeth' campaign encouraging parents to ensure their children have regular check-ups launches across West Somerset schools today in conjunction with dental practices from Minehead, Williton and Dulverton.

Each time a child goes for their NHS dental check-up they will receive a special sticker which can be put in their own 'Healthy Teeth Passport'. Collecting stickers and pictures within their passports enables children to enter an end of term prize draw.

Schools will also be rewarded for successfully promoting the project.

Rachel Blundell, practice manager with the Bleinheim House Dental Practice in Minehead, said: “Dentists regularly express their disappointment when they meet parents who are only prepared to bring their child to us when they have tooth ache.

“It's not surprising therefore that children become reluctant to attend a routine dental check-up if they only associate it with the anxiety of drilling and filling their decayed teeth.

“We want every child to have healthy teeth and a bright smile. That is why we hope that this new competition will encourage parents and motivate their children to attend a routine dental check-up and become more familiar with the dental environment from an early age.”

NHS health advisors and dental practitioners are hoping that the 'Healthy Teeth' competition will be rolled out to other Somerset schools in 2012.