Newcastle pupil is all smiles after winning dental poster competition
Eleven year old Newcastle pupil, Lakhveer Singh, has plenty to smile about after being crowned the winner of a dental poster competition.
Lakhveer, who attends St Paul’s Church of England School in Elswick, beat off competition from hundreds of primary school children across the city, to take the title. His impressive poster, which was entitled ‘Keep Your Teeth Strong’, featured advice about healthy eating, tooth brushing and visiting the dentist.
The poster competition was run by Newcastle Hospitals’ Dental Service and Health Visiting and School Nursing Services and involved four local schools, with hundreds of children taking part. Every year, representatives from the dental units at the city’s hospitals visit schoolchildren to encourage them to learn about oral health and to adopt good habits, which will reduce their risk of developing dental diseases.
The efforts seem to be paying off, as Newcastle currently rates above average in rates of children not affected by decay. The national average for the proportion of children affected by active decay stands at 25 per cent, but the figure in Newcastle is 19 per cent.
Nursing and patient services director, Helen Lamont, said that it is incredibly important to get positive messages out there as early as possible and the oral health teams are working hard to target children and provide them with the knowledge and information they need to make positive choices to boost their oral health.
Lakhveer was presented with a certificate and his poster will be displayed in local health centres, dental practices and schools. He was also given a family ticket to the Empire Cinema.
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