Peterlee School achieves Healthy Teeth Award
Children at Acre Rigg Infant School are celebrating after receiving the Healthy Teeth Award in recognition of high standards of oral hygiene. This is the fourth year in a row that the school has been given the award.
Statistics show that rates of tooth decay in East Durham are high, with just over 50 percent of children suffering from decay, however, children at Acre Rigg have better standards of oral health and the school has impressed health chiefs with their oral hygiene initiatives.
The Healthy Teeth Awards were introduced by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust and the aims of the awards were to try and encourage young people to take better care of their teeth and gums and to raise awareness of the link between eating sugary foods and drinks and poor oral health.
Sandra Laws, from the oral health promotion team, said that the Healthy Teeth Awards are designed to educate parents and teachers, as well as children. Parents can make a huge difference when it comes to their child’s oral health, as diet plays a very important role and limiting the amount of sugary foods and drinks children consume can dramatically reduce the chance of them developing decay and gum disease. Parents are also responsible for taking their child to see a dentist on a regular basis and regular check-ups are a great way to prevent oral health conditions and get children used to going to the dentist.
Julie King, oral health promotion coordinator, said that the award was a “great achievement” for the school, especially as it is their fourth consecutive year.
Join this Discussion