08/18/2019
Do your teachers pass out Jolly Ranchers in class?
Let’s Prevent Tooth Decay and Keep Our Kids in School!
Tooth decay is causing America’s children to miss school. A report from the Surgeon
General states 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental related illness.
This report also declares that dental caries (tooth decay) is the single most common
chronic childhood disease. While the statistics are staggering, prevention is the answer.
Tooth decay is preventable with proper education, hygiene tools, diet, and routine dental
visits.
Parents play the primary role in teaching children about oral hygiene and healthy eating
habits. Brushing the teeth twice a day for two minutes, and flossing the teeth once a
day will help your child’s teeth stay healthy. Parents need to motivate and supervise
their children while they brush. Most children 10 years old and younger will also require
parents to help brush the hard to reach areas due to their fine motor skills not being fully
developed. This is especially true in the case of flossing. Eating nutritious foods will not
only help your child grow but will also help keep teeth healthy. Fruits, vegetables, and
cheeses are all wonderful snacks. Avoiding high sugar foods and beverages is
essential. Soda, juices, and flavored milks all increase chances of dental decay. If a
child has a sugary treat, it is extremely important they brush right after. Crunching up
lollipops and hard candy such as Jolly Ranchers can cause not only tooth fractures, but
tooth decay as well. These types of candy should be avoided at all costs.
Parents are the key to unlocking their child’s good oral health. They must educate,
motivate, and be a role model while teaching these valuable life skills. Tooth decay can
cause a child to lose sleep, make it difficult to eat, make concentrating in school
impossible, and affect self-esteem. All of this is preventable with your help.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oral Health in
America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Research, National Institutes of Health, 2000:2-3.