New recommendations suggest children should be given lessons on how to brush their teeth properly in early years settings, due to poor oral hygiene.
In some deprived areas in the UK, poor dental health is rife. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggest introducing a new scheme that helps young children learn the importance of why and how to brush their teeth correctly. The scheme would enable children from the age of three to practice effective tooth-brushing skills that they may not be taught at home. Staff would supervise children brushing their teeth to ensure it was being done correctly.
The scheme has come about as a result of a Public Health England survey that found children in deprived areas suffer from tooth decay more than children from non-deprived areas. Many of the problems occur as a result of parents being uneducated themselves about the importance of healthy oral hygiene. Therefore, this scheme would allow staff to work not only with the children but also the parents, showing them how to encourage their children to brush their teeth effectively.
NICE believe that primary schools may also benefit from this scheme, if it has not been tackled in the early years setting some children may still be unaware of the effects not brushing their teeth can have. Approximately 25,000 young children every year are admitted to hospital to have teeth taken. Elizabeth Kay, foundation dean for the Peninsula Dental School in Plymouth, says “this really should not be happening, given that we know how to prevent dental disease”
The scheme would be of a great advantage in helping children and adults in deprived areas from suffering poor dental health and educate them on how to look after their teeth.