Community Dental Services CIC (CDS)’s Oral Health Improvement Team have been recognised in another national award, winning the Local Oral Health Initiative in the 2024 Clinical Dentistry Awards. The award-winning initiative is a programme in Essex schools where young peer-to-peer oral health champions are recruited and trained to encourage oral health among their young peers. The bespoke training programme promotes good oral health in primary schools and gives pupils direct responsibility for managing their own health. Using a new and innovative peer-led approach, pupils in years 3-6 are trained by CDS’s OHI team to be Oral Health Champions. The young Champions deliver training sessions within the classroom or during assembly, offer support and empower their peers to improve and take ownership of their own oral health.