A new charitable initiative is underway to help address the high number of Bay of Plenty children with poor oral health.

Latest Ministry of Health data shows that children under the Bay of Plenty District Health Board - DHB - have some of the most alarming rates of dental hygiene on a national scale, second only to Northland and Lakes DHBs.

According to the Ministry's research, just 55 per cent of the permanent teeth of Bay of Plenty school children are free of cavities, the third lowest level in the country and lower than the national average of 66 per cent.

The Bay of Plenty area also has the fourth highest rate of children with decayed, missing or filled permanent teeth in the country.

Today, students at Gate Pa school are the first to receive help as part of a national programme which will see more than 100,000 tooth brushes distributed to families in need.

International rugby Sevens star Niall Williams, an ambassador for the Share a Grin initiative, says while a clean toothbrush is an essential item, for some families it is a luxury.

International Sevens rugby star Niall Williams is throwing her support behind a new campaign to address the poor dental health of BOP kids. Photo: Supplied.

Niall, who is also studying towards a qualification in social work, says it is important that basic oral healthcare is communicated to our children.

'Knowing the area I live in and the statistics around oral health, I know there is a problem. I grew up in a low decile area and school so I understand the hardships that come with that,” says Niall.

'As a parent I believe knowledge is power, power to change an outcome that some people have struggled with for a long time. Knowledge of how to help your children look after their oral health and be better off in the long term..

'As Pasifika and a mother I've seen first-hand the impact of not having access to good oral care in my community. I've experienced the hardship of not having enough money to care for my teeth. I want to raise awareness around oral health care and I love that Grin is making it possible to gift toothbrushes to kids most in need,” says Niall.

Niall says she hopes the kids learn today how important oral care is and hopefully they can relate to her on a personal level.

"Let's make having good oral care a cool thing, something kids want to do and that their parents understand it can be done.

'If teeth are not looked after properly, it is something that can affect a person for the rest of their lives. This is not just physically, but mentally too. Having a great smile boosts self-confidence and confidence affects our everyday life attitude,” says Niall.

Gate Pa school principal Rochelle Jensen says good routines help children prepare for success in later life and already her school has a water only policy for students and is part of the nutritious school lunches scheme.

Jensen says she would like to see greater resourcing including more free community dentists to help address the oral health needs of children and their whanau in the Bay of Plenty.

Grin general manager Mark Hitchcock says Niall provides a valuable perspective on access to oral health care which many of us take for granted.

'The initiative is designed to get consumers involved in helping to address this inequity and support Kiwis living in hardship," says Mark.

'We know that there is an inequity when it comes to oral health care in this country and we want to help bridge that gap by providing children with their own toothbrush so they can have some control over their oral health outcomes.

'When consumers purchase a Grin Natural product an eco-friendly toothbrush will be donated to a Kiwi kid in need,” says Mark

Mark says the Share a Grin charitable campaign will see a quarter of a million dollars worth of brushes donated nationwide.