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The covers for Volume 241 of the BDJ (July to December 2026) showcase 12 dental charities, or charities with a connection to dentistry. The third cover image is ‘Township Smiles from Cape Town’, supplied by the Dental Wellness Trust
The Dental Wellness Trust, founded in 2011 by Dr Linda Greenwall MBE, has one simple mission: to improve the general health and wellbeing of young children through dental wellness – especially those most in need
The Dental Wellness Trust is a small charity with an exceptionally large reach and works predominantly in the UK and in South Africa (Dental Wellness Foundation), with other smaller programmes and projects in other parts of the world
Currently the Dental Wellness Trust/Foundation supports well over 100,000 children with daily supervised toothbrushing and many thousands more are assisted through educational programmes and outreach clinics both directly and indirectly
This issue’s cover image captures the joy of the Trust’s work in South Africa, depicting a child who is part of their supervised toothbrushing programme within one of the townships surrounding Cape Town
In South Africa, the Dental Wellness Foundation has 18 ‘Toothbrushing Mamas’ that it has trained and empowered to improve the oral health of children in their own communities, and they do this in a culturally sensitive way often using song, dance and materials offered in both English and their own languages. The Foundation in South Africa supplies toothbrushes, toothpaste, toothbrush holders, and toothpaste plates
In the UK, the Dental Wellness Trust focuses on the needs of children within underserved communities. An excellent example of this is in Luton where the charity has introduced daily supervised toothbrushing programmes into very many early years and school settings, mostly in areas of higher social deprivation
Another exciting upcoming project is Dental Trust’s collaboration with Rotary International to target London and all its boroughs – and part of this will be the introduction of a small mobile clinic
Everything that the Dental Wellness Trust in the UK and their Foundation in South Africa has achieved and continues to achieve is down to the drive, energy and passion of founder Dr Greenwall MBE who leads by example and motivates all to make a difference to the lives of many children by improving their oral health. In 2017 Dr Linda Greenwall was awarded the British Empire Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of her services to the dental profession in the UK and overseas and in 2025 was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honour’s list.
For more information visit www.dentalwellnesstrust.org
With thanks to Denice Logan Rose
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BDJ cover: Improving children’s health through dental wellness.
Br Dent J241, 155 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-026-0108-7
Published:14 August 2026
Version of record:14 August 2026
Issue date:14 August 2026
DOI
:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-026-0108-7
