Both SpaDental Plymouth and SpaDental Whitchurch have hosted Children’s Days this week. We aim to nurture dentally healthy children.
Yet it’s a time when, once again, there’s been a lot about children’s health in the news. The focus? The number of children who are overweight and obese. As dentists, we’re concerned because unhealthy eating habits lead to dental problems too.
We want healthy children, with healthy mouths and great teeth.
Here are two facts*:
- 4% of measured Year 6 children were severely obese.
- That’s roughly 100% more than the number of severely obese children in Reception classes.
It would be fair to conclude, therefore, that as primary school children grow they are consuming more calories and expending less energy.
*Information from the Local Government Association (LGA) reports on statistics from the national child measurement programme.
Our focus is on preventive care. We understand how important it is to look after our overall health, as well as our teeth and mouth.
As carers for young children we can all help.
No-one wants to be the joy-killer saying you can’t eat this or that all of the time. Think about teaching a healthy balance between energy intake and output.
Consume fewer calories:
A positive attitude to healthy eating choices helps.
- Help children learn what’s good to eat.
- Focus on the benefits of making healthy choices.
- Offer repeated chances to try new foods.
Expend more energy:
And have fun moving, playing games and dancing.
The NHS Change4Life initiative has great activities to get moving. Here’s a link to some fun ideas.
To support government initiatives to improve children’s health, both SpaDental Plymouth and Whitchurch are registering minors as NHS patients.
Please contact us to learn more.
Further reading:
- The packed lunch challenge
- How to preserve children’s teeth
- Child tooth decay – shocking statistics.
- National Children’s Day