Children in Wales aged between three and five will be given free toothbrushes and toothpaste to stem "unacceptable" rates of dental decay.
A programme called Designed to Smile will also teach children the rights and wrongs of teeth cleaning.
Youngsters in north Wales and large parts of south east Wales are to be targeted first in pilot projects.
A total of £4.6m is being put aside, and patient charges for dental treatment are frozen for a second year.
Health Minister Edwina Hart will launch the scheme in Merthyr Tydfil, and the assembly government has confirmed children as young as three will be taught how to clean their teeth properly in schools.
Ms Hart said: "Rates of tooth decay in Wales are unacceptable for what is almost a totally preventable disease.
"We intend to work towards every child being provided with free toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste"
"Some of our children have some of the worst teeth in Europe. We need to reverse the trend if we are to meet our dental health and child poverty targets."
Ms Hart said the toothbrushing schemes will provide children with the tools they need to develop and maintain good oral health from an early age. Older children aged six to 11 will also be given advice on teeth cleaning.
'Greatest risk'
She added: "We intend to work towards every child being provided with free toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste."
Ms Hart said the new dental contract has improved access for patients with problems now "confined to a very few areas."
The minister added: "We are also working hard to improve the position further so that we reach a position where everyone in Wales who wants access to NHS dental care will be able to get it."
She said patients charges for dental treatment for the second year running to help maintain wider access to NHS dental services.
Professor Ivor Chestnuttt, from Cardiff University School of Dentistry, said there was lots of evidence to show regular toothbrushing was "crucial" to good oral health.
"We know that for many children at greatest risk of dental decay, cleaning their teeth or having their teeth cleaned does not form part of their daily routine," he said.
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