When the National Center for Health Statistics released its latest study of oral health trends in 2007, there was much to celebrate. For most age groups, oral health had improved over the past decade. Thanks in part to the increased use of sealants on children's teeth, instances of tooth decay, or dental caries, decreased in many age groups, including 8–10 year olds and teenagers. But the news wasn't so great for our youngest kids. Among 2–5 year olds, tooth decay in primary, or baby, teeth jumped from 24 percent to 28 percent in the past 10 years.
When Dr. Mary Hayes, a Chicago-based pediatric dentist and spokesperson for the American Dental Association, shares this statistic with the parents of her patients, their first reaction is usually surprise. "A lot of parents think young children can't get tooth decay," she says. "But the fact is tooth decay is more common than asthma or hay fever."
Another myth Dr. Hayes dispels often is that tooth decay of baby teeth is not as serious as decay of permanent teeth. "Parents think those teeth are going to fall out, so it doesn't matter what happens to them in the meantime," she says. "But some baby teeth don't fall out until the age of 12 or 13. If they get decay at 4 or 5 on one of those teeth, there's a strong likelihood they will experience pain and infection until that tooth comes out."
Here's the good news: Tooth decay is largely preventable, and as an educator, you can help improve the health of your students' teeth. This month marks National Children's Dental Health Month, so take time to talk to your students about good dental hygiene. Here are four topics to consider:
1. Stress Why Good Hygiene Is Important
Why is good dental hygiene so essential? For starters, Dr. Hayes says, teeth are expected to last a lifetime, which for today's children probably means 70–80 years. But there's also a correlation between dental hygiene and diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, a set of clean, pearly whites affects a child's self-esteem and ability to interact and socialize.
2. Get Back to the Basics Often
It might be easy to equate brushing and flossing with tying one's shoes or riding a bike-learn it once, and you've got it. But taking care of one's teeth should be an ongoing lesson, Dr. Hayes says. "At different stages in life, children understand lessons differently-dental hygiene habits included," she says.
Even though your students probably learned about brushing when they were toddlers, it's not until age 6 or 7 that they have the motor skills to brush properly. A class exercise on proper technique is still relevant.
Dr. Hayes says revisiting brushing techniques for students ages 8–10 is helpful because they're dealing with half baby teeth and half permanent teeth. "It's a lot harder for them to clean, and they end up missing some of each," she says. She suggests a lesson on flossing for 10–12 year olds, which is when they develop the required fine motor skills.
For high-school students, reiterating the connection between dental health and diet is key to helping them prevent cavities and decay.
3. Reinforce the Role of Diet
Dr. Hayes believes diet is one of the primary reasons for the increase in tooth decay among young children. "There's no such thing as three square meals a day anymore," she says. "Kids are constantly snacking." And often, she says, they snack on foods that can instantly sabotage their efforts to keep their teeth clean and free of plaque and decay. "What they want to avoid are simple carbs, like sugar, or foods that turn into simple carbs in the mouth, like pastas and breads," she says. "Juice is a bad choice, along with sodas and sports drinks. And, of course, you have to watch the usual suspects like candy."
With younger students, it's important to reinforce this lesson with parents, who often control their children's food choices. With older students, the key is to impress to them that many foods-not just ones that obviously include sugar-can lead to cavities and decay.
Study the Science
Understanding how teeth work, how they move and how decay can break them down help students establish good dental hygiene habits. For younger students, visual demonstrations, such as models or experiments, can get these concepts across. "It's actually a very complex thing we ask kids to learn," Dr. Hayes says. "We just think of our teeth as a part of us that will be fine."
Background Information
Dental Hygiene
Healthy Snacking
