Redditch set to celebrate National Smile Month

Sure Start Children’s Centres in Redditch are preparing to celebrate National Smile Month. All six centres will run events and programmes to celebrate children’s oral health.

From the 17^th May, the centres will host four days of events, activities and educational games to celebrate the national campaign, which has the slogan of ‘Teeth 4 Life’ this year. The events and activities will be designed to get children involved in oral hygiene; children will take part i

n games that will teach them about healthy eating, sugar, cleaning their teeth and visiting the dentist.

Preventable diseases such as tooth decay and obesity are increasingly common amongst young children and campaigns like National Smile Month will help to raise awareness of the dangers of poor oral health and encourage parents, carers and children to get involved in oral hygiene. Children can learn about the effects of eating sugary and acidic foods and having a poor oral hygiene routine.

Oral hygiene and positive lifestyle habits should be taught from as early an age as possible; young children who grow up with a good oral hygiene routine and a healthy, varied diet are more likely to continue looking after their teeth and gums during the rest of their lives and are less likely to develop other health conditions. Oral health problems often indicate poor general health and numerous studies have linked oral health conditions, such as gum disease, with cardiovascular disease.

The activities run by Sure Start in Redditch will help to encourage children to learn about oral health and hygiene as well as having great fun with their friends. The events will run between the 17^th and the 21^st May. 

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Tags: Children's dental health, good oral hygiene, gum disease, National Smile Month, Preventable diseases, Teeth 4 Life, Tooth decay

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 at 10:56 am and is filed under General. Both comments and pings are currently closed.