Oral health for junior school age (7-11)

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:

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:

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

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
Hounslow Zoom Meetings. For the next Hounslow Zoom events, please contact the OHP Team.
Contact Details:

kendra.blinco@nhs.net
amanpreet.sidhu@nhs.net
SEN Resources