Tooth decay is the most common oral disease affecting children and young people in England, yet it is largely preventable.

As dental care professionals we get the chance to provide the message of good oral hygiene to the children and parents who come and visit us. There is still a large number of children who do not visit the dentist, so it is fantastic that Oral Health is now part of school curriculum.

At The Maltings Dental Practice, we pride ourselves on looking after the dental health of not only our patients but also the children in local schools and nurseries. This is something that we as a team really enjoy. It is lovely to interact with the children and make the topic of toothbrushing fun!

At a school or nursery request, we plan a visit to the children to explain all about how to look after our teeth, which includes toothbrushing technique, importance of a magical ingredient called Fluoride, effects of sugar, good and bad foods for our teeth, what a trip to the dentist involves and the grand finale is dressing up as a dentist!

We provide goody bags for the children and parents which include some leaflets for parents on oral health, a toothpaste sample, some colouring sheets, toothbrushing charts and some stickers.

We have received some wonderful feedback from schools that we have visited recently and the children really enjoy our visits.

“I just wanted to pass on our heartfelt thanks for coming to our school today and giving the children (and adults) such a good talk and presentation on looking after our teeth. I think everyone learnt something!

The children were very excited to take their goody bags home, thank you very much.

Both ladies were so amiable and responsive to our children. It was obvious the children felt very comfortable in their presence and they enjoyed asking them questions. The children also enjoyed the role play. Who knows we may have some future Dentists, Dental nurses or Oral Hygienists in our midst?”

Oral Health promotion is a passion for all of us here at The Maltings Dental Practice. This is an area that we feel we can make a big impact on if we educate children, as it enables them to adopt good dental habits to prevent dental problems occurring later on in their life.

If you have any questions or would like any help with resources, please contact our team on 01476 563181 or email admin@maltingsdental.co.uk

By Alex Murphy, Oral Health Educator