Portsmouth Children Brush Up On Dental Hygiene
Children from Somers Park Primary School were given a lesson in oral hygiene this week.
Staff from the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy visited the school to talk to the children about oral hygiene and teach them about the importance of brushing their teeth. Somers Park Primary School is one of 15 schools in the area to sign up to the scheme, which is designed to reduce rates of decay and improve standards of oral health among the city’s children.
Figures show that Portsmouth has poor standards of oral health, with 44 percent of children aged five or under suffering from decay. Jan Fleming, headteacher, said that it was really important for children to learn how to look after their teeth and gums.
Children at the school were given free toothbrushes and toothpaste and will now brush their teeth everyday at school. Alison Press, dental tutor, said that it was important to teach children at a very early age in order for them to protect their teeth during their teenage and adult years. The programme started n Scotland, where rates of decay were very high and following success north of the border, teams in Portsmouth decided to roll it out in schools in the area.
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