Meet ‘Dental Buddy’

It is a frightening thought that in Primary Schools across the UK, about eight or nine children in each school class will have already developed tooth decay. That is rapidly approaching a quarter of a million children in every primary school year.  That is around 3.3 million young people aged between 0-14 years of age.

The Oral Health Foundation is dedicated to improving the oral health of all children and young adults in the UK. From the very first time that an infant brushes their first tooth, to their first trip to the dentist, a child’s oral health plays a key part in their early years’ welling being and personal care education.

The understanding that this team at the Oral Health Foundation hold, has enabled them to create Dental Buddy: www.dentalbuddy.org.

Dental Buddy includes a series of educational resources for Early Years Education, Key Stage One and Key Stage Two. Some of these resources include activity sheets, lesson plans and interactive presentations.

Dental Buddy aims to

Their aim is to increase children’s oral health and spread the Dental Buddy’s message, which is simple:

• Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
• Have a balanced diet and learn the importance of cutting down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks.
• Visit the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

Dental Buddy is helping improve the links and communication between schools and local dental practices, building relationships between teachers and dental health professionals to increase the amount of time spent teaching children about oral health.

Invite your local dental practice to visit your children’s school

Schools who contact their local dental practice are usually surprised at how willing the practice is to visit the classroom or have the children visit the practice. Often, a dentist, hygienist or therapist can have a profound effect on the attitude of young children.

Schools and dental health professionals working with parents have an important part to play in educating children and young adults about their lifestyle and how to look after themselves, this includes oral health education and care.

Introduce oral health into the school curriculum

Introducing oral health into the school curriculum, especially at Key Stage One and Two should make a huge difference to the children’s understanding of its importance in their lives.

Children’s Days

SpaDental Plymouth has quarterly events focused on the Oral Health of Children. We hold dedicated days for children’s dental examinations focusing on Public Health England’s Campaign – Be Food Smart.

Make an appointment on Thursday 16th February 2017 for your child call 01752 663870 or emailing plymouth@spadental.co.uk.

If you know that your child is a regular attendee, is not due to be seen or has a future appointment booked with us, then why not recommend this event to a fellow parent so that their children too may benefit from this great campaign.

Keep up to date with what is going at SpaDental Plymouth:

• Like us on Facebook @SpaDentalPlymouth
• Follow us on Twitter @SpaDPlymouth

For more information

• Children’s Dentistry
• Preventative Dental Products And Procedures For Children

Useful Links & Information