Candace M. Jones, RDH, MPH, Director, Indian Health Service, Dental Disease Prevention Program, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Head Start has always recognized the importance of healthy children. This includes dental health.
The future oral health of Head Start children depends primarily on parents. It is important to establish good dental health habits early in life. These habits are started and reinforced by parents' habits of brushing with a fluoridated toothpaste, eating healthy, and seeing the dentist regularly.
A positive attitude toward dental care is the foundation for a lifetime's interest in good oral health. To foster this positive perspective, parents, teachers, and dental providers must work together.
The Head Start programs been influential in helping children and their families understand the value of oral health. Head Start staff routinely stress the importance of early dental visits to parents, and prepare children for dental visits through instruction and games that are a regular part of classroom activities.
What Head Start teachers and staff can do to promote good dental health:
- Help children brush with a fluoridated toothpaste after meals at the center. Make brushing fun and routine by singing songs or playing music while the children brush.
- Make a classroom chart and give out stickers or draw "smiley" faces each time a child brushes his or her teeth.
- Talk to parents about the importance of their children brushing their teeth at home, and the importance of providing nutritious snacks and meals for their children. Give parents recipes for healthy snacks and ideas to try at home.
- Help arrange for families to get dental appointments and remind them about their child's dental appointment. Go with them if they need support, or help provide child care for younger children in the family.
- Encourage parents/caregivers to go with their children for dental visits so that they will understand the dental treatment, as well as how they can help to prevent dental disease.
- Provide the children with classroom education on dental health. Encourage role playing about trips to a dental clinic. Talk about visiting a dental clinic and what to expect. Display pictures of a dental clinic and/or video tapes of things they will see during their visit.
- Take pictures of the children visiting the dentist and display the pictures on a bulletin board so the children can see themselves-and their classmates.
- Invite a dental health provider to come and talk to the children and parents about dental health.
- During home visits, talk about dental health and the importance of brushing with a fluoridated tooth paste.
- Include a local dental professional on the Health Advisory Council. Ask him/her to provide tooth brushes and toothpaste, if possible, to parents or caregivers on home visits, or for the classroom.
- Be a good role model by brushing and taking care of your own teeth.
- Healthy smiles begin at home! Brush with your child. Help your child brush his/her teeth with a fluoridated toothpaste every day, especially after meals and before bedtime. Only a small amount of toothpaste should be placed on the brush as children tend to swallow toothpaste. Parents or caregivers should supervise the child's brushing to ensure that a proper job is done until the child is at least 8 years old.
- Make tooth brushing fun. Let your child brush his/ her own teeth and then you can brush them more thoroughly after your child is finished. You can give names to the teeth or play other games while brushing. You can use a timer to help your child brush long enough. About three minutes is a good length of time to brush.
- Brush your own teeth every day. You are your child's first teacher. If your child sees you brushing, he/she will want to brush too.
- Limit sugar intake. Many children drink three or four cans of soda pop each day. When children are thirsty, give them water to drink. Encourage your child to eat nutritious foods and avoid snacking on sugary foods. When foods contain sugars and starches, acid is produced which attacks the tooth surface. After repeated attacks, the enamel may breakdown, forming a cavity. If sugary foods are consumed, the best time to do so is immediately after a meal.
- You and your child should see a dentist at least once a year. If you do not have a dentist, ask your health coordinator to help you find one.
- Ask your dentist about dental sealants. A dental sealant is a plastic coating that is applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect the teeth from bacteria/germs. If applied as soon as the back teeth come into the mouth, sealants can prevent most dental decay.
- Find out if you live in a community that has fluoride in the water. Ask your dental health professional or Head Start health coordinator. If your community water supply or well water is not fluoridated, ask your dentist or physician about giving your child daily fluoride tablets. The fluoride in the tablets makes the teeth stronger and prevents dental decay.
Improving the oral health of Head Start children is a team effort. We can all help!
