Hi everyone. We are in a particulaly lucky situation on the Northern Gold Coast area. We have built a close relationship with our community child health service through the Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds network.

Our toothbrushes, the cases, the toothpaste and staff training are all provided for free by Qld Dental Health. The Dental staff come out and provide free education, a dental hygiene "show" for the children and helped us to provide a safe and practical routine that works for us too.

Personally I would never be using bleach to clean the tooth brushes. Milton Solution is far safer and is food safe.

You must be careful of fluid transfer between the children's toothbrushes- even if they have been rinsed clean. Each child must have their own toothbrush and case.Remember your own safety too and be wearing gloves.

Contact your local community health service and see how you go. If you don't have any luck I will see if I can send you photos and a copy or our routine.
Good Luck

I would make sure each child has their name on the toothbrush (soft or ultra-soft bristles only) and on the cover. The covers should have venting holes, because you want the bristles to dry after toothbrushing and not to remain wet.
Also, the covers need to be disinfected with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 10 minutes, as to prevent mould from forming.
Toothbrush holders can be made easily. Ask your Industrial Arts teacher to make a holder using: baltic birch plywood 65cm wide. 10 ch high and 1.5 cm thick (26" x 4" x 1 3/4") mount 16 nickel plated hooks and two mounting screws for each holder. The holder should have a varnish finish. If you need more than 16 hooks, make it longer or make two of the same, but mount side by side. Not on top of each other. These instructions will help prevent cross-contamination. Good luck!! :)

Perhaps you could use individual plastic lids off aerosol cans. Put a hole in the top for the toothbrush to go through and then use sticky dots to attach to the wall as you did with the egg cartons.I hope this helps.

I thought of the icecream or chinese takeaway containers with slots cut into one side to " hook" over nails on the wall or back of doors.As the containers need a wash or to be replaced you unhook them from the nails, then wash or replace and then return to their hooks. Possibly attach a class group to a squared off broom stick and then store the other class sets on their broomsticks out of the way and rotate for each class's sessions.( Lay the ends of current class's set across 2 desks for the chn to reach.Can we email?

Why not drill a small hole in each toothbrush and tie some string through the hole. you could write each childs name on each brush and hang from individual hooks or nails. Gladwrap is great for keeping toothbrush heads clean and can be replaced easily each day or when needed.

It might be worth making the investment to buy the little travel covers you can buy for toothbrushes. Little plastic things that clip together to cover just the tops of the brush. Maybe contact a dental clinic and see if they have any suggestions. (They might even make a donation for you!)

You could try using a piece of chain that holds the brushes but not so big as to let them fall through. Label each section with a name tag or a character and hang the chain in an airy but fly free zone.

Dear Sonya,

Perhaps one or two of the cheap flat fabric shoe storage holders that hang on the wall or behind the door may be just what you need - and someone to divide the pockets into smaller sections with a sewing machine. (or you could stitch by hand-still effective!!)

Each pocket has extra fabric to hold the volume of the shoes - this isnt a problem as it can easily be sewn down on the left and right hand sides. At the same time the pocket could be divided into three or four vertical partitions. They only need to be wide enough to hold the toothbrush without the head falling into the little pocket. One way of ensuring that they DON'T fall is to sew a line of stitching straight across the bottom of each new little pocket from left to right in order to shorten them.

The shoe holders hold perhaps 12 pairs of shoes. If each section is divided into 4 that makes 48 spaces. Use 2 shoe holders and you have 96 spaces - and enough room for staff toothbrushes as well!!

Use stickers to put the children's names on the front - take them off at the end of the year for washing. New stickers for the next year. (Hint: put the names on in alphabetical order and use it as a learning tool as well)

If you can't find the shoe holders in NT, send your email address and I will make them for you and post them up!

Best of luck with your brushing.

Mrs K. :)

Hey there,
I lived in a remote community in the East Kimberley and also had the kids cleaning their teeth after breakfast...

The health centre in town provided me with toothbrushes and toothbrush covers. You can also purchase the covers quite cheap at Woolworths. They come in a pack of 4 different colours. Good for keeping the flies off!!!

There is also enough room to write their names on the side (name recognition). When they have finished brushing their teeth and rinsing their brush, my kids place their toothbrush back in its cover and stood it upright in a cup to dry. Then at the end of the day, we would put the toothbrushes back into the little tub ready for the next day.

Also if you go on to the Colgate site, you can recieve FREE toothbrushes and a teachers pack complete with posters, toothpaste and a dvd!!!

anyways, just had another idea too... those kinder surprise eggs might work the same too. put a hole in one half?

Hope that helps a little... definately push the Community nurse/health workers to do something for you!!!

regards

Kerry
(So glad to hear someone else getting the kids cleaning their teeth!!!)

Hey there,
I lived in a remote community in the East Kimberley and also had the kids cleaning their teeth after breakfast...

The health centre in town provided me with toothbrushes and toothbrush covers. You can also purchase the covers quite cheap at Woolworths. They come in a pack of 4 different colours. Good for keeping the flies off!!!

There is also enough room to write their names on the side (name recognition). When they have finished brushing their teeth and rinsing their brush, my kids place their toothbrush back in its cover and stood it upright in a cup to dry. Then at the end of the day, we would put the toothbrushes back into the little tub ready for the next day.

Also if you go on to the Colgate site, you can recieve FREE toothbrushes and a teachers pack complete with posters, toothpaste and a dvd!!!

anyways, just had another idea too... those kinder surprise eggs might work the same too. put a hole in one half?

Hope that helps a little... definately push the Community nurse/health workers to do something for you!!!

regards

Kerry
(So glad to hear someone else getting the kids cleaning their teeth!!!)

not sure exactly what they are called, but i know they are used to keep cables up off the floor. they are white plastic, sticky backed to adhere to the wall and with an c shaped section that would open when you pull your toothbrush out and close when it is pushed back against the c. they are fairly small, but would be strong enough to hold a toothbrush, you could then label the wall with name or photo of the owner. let me know if you have trouble understanding what type of connection i am meaning and will attach a photo for you