Dentists use football to tackle children’s oral health in Crawley town centre

The event brought together local parents and children to encourage children to stay active during the summer holidays while also teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining good oral health at home.

Banning Dental Group Crawley hosted a free family football day in Queen's Square on Friday, July 31, welcoming local parents and children to enjoy small football games, family activities and prizes throughout the day.

As children took part in football activities using portable goalposts in the town square throughout the day, Banning Dental Group's dental team worked directly with families, demonstrating effective toothbrushing techniques, sharing healthy eating advice and teaching children how to maintain good oral health at home.

Every child also received a free oral health goodie bag.

With football playing such an important role in the local community, thanks to the town's beloved Crawley Town, the practice saw the sport as the ideal way to engage children and families with healthy lifestyle and oral health messages.

Heather Redfern, practice manager at Banning Dental Group Crawley, said: “Football is such an important part of the Crawley community, so it felt like the perfect way to bring local families together.

“We wanted to give children something fun to enjoy while also helping them develop healthy oral habits that can last a lifetime, which is really key given children can often have a lack of routine during the summer holidays.

“Good oral health starts from an early age, and by combining physical activity with practical advice for both children and parents, we hope we've made those important messages engaging and memorable.

“We also wanted to help destigmatise dentistry for children and educate both them and their parents, as we know a visit to the dentist can seem like a daunting experience for many young children.”

Open Monday to Saturday, the Banning Dental Group Crawley clinic is also located in Queen's Square and offers general dentistry, dental hygiene, Invisalign, teeth whitening, composite bonding, and dental implants.

Banning Dental Group Crawley positions itself as bridging the gap between NHS dentistry and traditional private care.

New patient examinations are priced at £30, only £2.10 more than the current NHS Band 1 charge, while the Group also offers what it describes as the UK's lowest-priced Invisalign treatment, alongside a dental price-match guarantee across all clinics.

The Crawley practice forms part of the wider Banning Dental Group, which operates 18 clinics across London and the South East.