Oral health for junior school age (7-11)
Key health professionals involved here:
- School nurses
- Teaching staff.
Looking after teeth and gums
Key messages:
- Oral health is part of the national curriculum in Key Stage two (KS2) science, Relationships Education, Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE), and Health Education.
Linked resources:
Toothbrushing
Key messages:
- Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing 1350-1500ppm fluoride. Most ‘own brand’ supermarket toothpastes are suitable and more affordable
- Brush all the surfaces of the teeth and gumline in small circles for around 2 minutes, twice a day - just before bedtime and at another time that fits in with your routine
- Spit out the toothpaste and do not rinse!
Linked resources:
- How to care for the teeth of children aged 7+ with Dr Ranj and Supertooth! (Cbeebies presenter)
Diet:
Key messages:
- Reduce the amount and frequency of having foods and drinks that contain sugar, only give sweet foods including dried fruit at mealtimes
- Squashes sweetened with sugar, fizzy drinks, soft drinks and juice drinks have no place in a child’s daily diet
- Limit the amount of fruit juice and/or smoothies your child drinks to a maximum of 150 mls (one portion) in total per day and drink it with meals to reduce the risk of tooth decay
- Always ask for sugar-free medicines
Linked resources:
- Sugar: the facts
- Healthy Eating Right from the Start video (from Henry)
- The Food Scanner app from Change4Life can help you check how much sugar your family is having
Visiting the dentist:
Key Messages
- Adults should have a regular check-up at the dentist at least once every 2 years, and children at least once a year
- NHS dental treatment is free for children under 18 or under 19 and in qualifying full-time education
- Some adults can also get free NHS dental treatment
- Going to the dentist regularly helps the child become familiar with the dental environment, and enables the dentist to pick up on any problems as early as possible
- The dentist can paint fluoride varnish on children’s teeth to protect them from tooth decay. All children over 3 should have it applied at least twice a year, and it may also be used for younger children at high risk of tooth decay. Parents/carers should ask their dentist about fluoride varnish
Linked resources:
- Put your postcode into this website to find a dentist
- Look here to find out who is entitled to free NHS dental treatment
- Hounslow Oral Health Promotion Team offer range of tailored educational oral health programmes and materials aimed for children, families, educational settings, and health professionals. Some of the programmes offered are:
- ‘How to Brush’ supervised tooth brushing in schools and nurseries
- Fluoride varnish school dental programme for children aged 4-7 years old
- Parents and carers oral health and healthy eating workshops
- SEN schools’ oral health parent/teacher workshops and ‘How to brush’ programme for children
- Training all front-line staff working with children to be ‘Tooth Champions’ and providing them with tools and materials to enable them to spread the key oral health messages
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Hounslow Zoom Meetings. For the next Hounslow Zoom events, please contact the OHP Team.
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Contact Details:
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SEN Resources
There are many organisations offering information online, this is a selection that we have found useful.
British Society for Disability and Oral Health
Oral Health Foundation: Dental Care for People with Special Needs
NHS UK: Dental Treatment for People with Special Needs
Documents
BSPD - Advice for parents of children with autism
Oral Health Aids and Resources for Special Needs - Information for Parents and Carers