For Commissioners: Working with AP Smilestars
AP Smilestars is a community-focused oral health improvement programme working in close partnership with local authorities and public health teams. We champion prevention over treatment, partnering with communities, workforces, and settings to make good health sustainable.
From supervised toothbrushing and workforce training to care-home support and targeted community engagement, we build flexible programmes around unique local needs. We are actively open to exploring new commissioning arrangements and partnerships.
We recognise that oral health inequalities are driven by wider social determinants. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, we apply a proportionate universalism approach—ensuring universal access while delivering targeted, intensive support to those who need it most.
Since 2022, AP Smilestars has driven measurable change at scale. In Blackburn with Darwen, where we have delivered extensive programming, five-year-old tooth decay has fallen from ~51% to ~35%.
Large-scale supervised toothbrushing (Blackburn with Darwen, Cumberland)
Wider oral health improvement initiatives (Blackburn with Darwen, Wigan)
Comprehensive workforce training & care-home oral health support
Community outreach, engagement, and work with underserved groups
Specialist support for settings working with children and young people with SEND
Programme monitoring, evaluation, and commissioner reporting
Every local authority faces distinct population challenges. If you have an oral health priority you’d like to address, get in touch to explore how we can tailor an evidence-based approach for your area.
