Oldham Pupils Get a Lesson in Oral Hygiene
Pupils at Spring Meadows Children’s Centre in Oldham were treated to a different kind of lesson last week, when the team from mydentist in Lees Road paid a visit. The team arrived with a unique dental classroom designed to teach the children about what happens when you see a dentist and get them used to the sights and sounds of a dental surgery.
The specially designed classroom will be touring the country and dentists and nurses will be taking the time to chat to children about the importance of brushing and looking after their teeth and helping them to make healthy food choices and regulate how much sugar they consume.
The mydentist team decided to visit the children’s centre in Oldham after figures revealed that rates of decay among children are the 2nd highest in the country. Almost 50 percent of children have a decayed, missing or filled tooth.
Last year alone, nearly 500 children aged between 5 and 9 years old were taken into hospital each week requiring extraction under general anaesthetic, making decay the most common cause of hospital admission in children.
Mydentist’s Andrea Heywood said that research shows that many children are missing out on routine dental care, even though it is provided free of charge by the NHS. The aim of the initiative is to encourage parents to take their children to the dentist, enable children to feel more comfortable in a clinical setting and teach them about the importance of brushing and healthy eating.
Councillor Jean Stretton, a member of the Cabinet for health and wellbeing, said that rates of decay in the area are incredibly worrying and the council is working with local organisations and schools to improve standards of oral health and ensure children and parents have the knowledge to prevent dental diseases.
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