With children spending an increasing amount of time in childcare, early years professionals play an important role in supporting good oral health. Along with the reform of the EYFS published in September 2021, early years settings must now promote and educate good oral health within our children and encourage and support parents and families. 'In 2017 in England, almost a quarter of five year olds had experienced tooth decay, having an average of 3 or 4 decayed teeth. Figures suggest that more than 105 children a day have their teeth removed in hospital due to tooth decay.' - These figures are alarming - so what can we do? We can start by working together to;
reduce the consumption of food and drink containing sugars - we only provide fresh drinking water and 1 cup of cows milk each day for your children - if you wish for your child to drink squash we recommend sugar free options
supporting children to be aware of what good oral health means – helping both children and parents to understand the importance of cleaning their teeth with fluoride toothpaste and eating healthily
working with parents to emphasise good oral health, and the importance of visiting the dentist on a regular basis
Other than physically brushing your child's teeth whilst at preschool - which really we would try to avoid there are many fun activities that we complete with our children to focus on oral health here are just an example of some;
creating a role play dentist
brushing the dinosaurs teeth
sorting 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods and drinks into categories
cooking activities
preparing fruits and vegetables for meals
sharing dental hygiene stories
The list is endless but we always follow the lead of our children, and extend their learning. At Coton Green Church Preschool we would love to be able to support our parents, families and children in Oral Health. If you are struggling to maintain oral health, or provide key products needed please do ask for support, there will be no judgement.
This can include;
-child suitable toothbrush
-flouride toothpaste
-books about oral health to borrow
-guidance leaflets / information
There is an online NHS course for early years professionals, parents and carers to complete which takes around 20 minutes to complete; https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/childrens-oral-health/
We would love to share some interesting resource and information websites for you to visit;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-oral-health-supervised-tooth-brushing-programme-toolkit
https://www.pacey.org.uk/Pacey/media/2015-images/Blog%20content%20images/Childrens-Teeth-support-iHV.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-child-dental-health/health-matters-child-dental-health
As always we love to inspire learning through sharing books here are some examples of useful books available on Amazon;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Were-Going-Dentist-Check-up-Steps/dp/1529004020/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3HYUKXNDEOCLA&keywords=early+years+oral+health+books&qid=1649710908&sprefix=early+years+oral+health+books%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-3
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peppa-Pig-Dentist-Trip-Ladybird/dp/1409301931/ref=sr_1_13?crid=3HYUKXNDEOCLA&keywords=early+years+oral+health+books&qid=1649710942&sprefix=early+years+oral+health+books%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-13
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-Your-Teeth-Snappy-Croc/dp/1782953957/ref=sr_1_3?crid=TJ8YGI9B7PYC&keywords=early+years+oral+health+books+snappy+croc&qid=1649710991&sprefix=early+years+oral+health+books+snappy+croc%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-3
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brush-Rookie-Toddler/dp/0531252361/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TJ8YGI9B7PYC&keywords=early+years+oral+health+books+snappy+croc&qid=1649711006&sprefix=early+years+oral+health+books+snappy+croc%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-1
If you have any concerns about your childs oral health we are always here to help, alternatively contact your health visitor or dentist/GP if you need medical advice.
Comments