A dental project carried out in NHS Lanarkshire has won a national award and was shortlisted for an international one after working to improve the oral health of children with physical disabilities and/or sensory or learning impairments.

The Special Smiles Dental Project, a collaboration between NHS Lanarkshire and Action for Sick Children Scotland (ASCS), won the National Oral Health Promotion Group (NOHPG) Patron’s Prize and was one of four finalists at the Bright Smiles-Bright Futures Award.

The project’s specially developed resource pack is used in schools which teach children with additional and complex support needs to help reduce these children’s anxieties about the dentist and improve their oral health through preventative measures.