Over 1,600 children in North Somerset have been brushing their teeth at school thanks to a new scheme.

Launched by NHS South West and North Somerset Council, the initiative sees children in nursery, reception, and year one classes in 23 schools across the county brush their teeth together at school every day.

This is done under the supervision of a trained teacher.

The scheme, which will be expanded to more schools later this year, was launched to tackle poor levels of oral hygiene among youngsters and to help reduce tooth decay.

It comes after figures revealed that 37 per cent of five-year-olds in North Somerset have enamel and/or dentine decay.

This is above the national average.

The scheme is supported by the North Somerset Better Health team, Home Dental, and the Big Brush Team.

The organisations have found engaging ways to inspire children to brush their teeth through singing, rhymes, and mascots.

They have provided training and support to ensure the schools have everything they need to be able to help the children to brush their teeth.

North Somerset Council executive member for public health, councillor Jenna Ho Marris, said: "It’s imperative that we work with all our partners to educate children, parents, and caregivers to ensure we improve levels of oral health in this region.

"Schemes such as this supervised toothbrushing are vital to enabling better health for our children in North Somerset.

"We continue to promote the key health messages of brushing twice a day, reducing sugar, and regularly visiting a dentist to ensure that our children get the best possible start when it comes to oral health."

The scheme is now set to be expanded to other schools and nurseries across North Somerset.

18 settings have been identified and it is expected many will take up the scheme.

The initiative comes as a debate in the House of Commons revealed that 43.8 per cent of children have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months.

Last year, 37 per cent of five-year-olds in North Somerset were estimated to have enamel and/or dentine decay, which is above the national average.