Preventing tooth decay – what we have learnt
Pharmacy staff across the country are focusing on children’s oral health. All members of our pharmacy teams will be completing online learning and assessments. This post tells you about what we have been learning and gives you top tips for preventing tooth decay.
Tooth decay is the most common oral disease affecting children and young people in England, yet it is largely preventable. Although oral health is improving in England almost a quarter of 5 year olds have tooth decay, so 1 in 4 children will have tooth decay when they start school.
Reduce consumption of foods and drinks that contain sugar.
Most people know that regularly consuming food and drinks high in free sugars increases the risk of obesity and tooth decay. So cutting sugar in a child’s diet can reduce their risk of tooth decay. Did you know that almost a third of the free sugars consumed by 11 to 18 year olds come from soft drinks?
We learnt that if your child does want to eat sweets or food and drinks that contain sugar it is best to do this at meal times. This means that their teeth have longer times between food to recover from exposure to acid produced by bacteria in the mouth when sugar is consumed.
We were quite surprised by some of the seemingly healthy foods that contain sugar. Food that is often associated with being healthy such as fruit juice, yoghurt and cereal are often high in sugar. The Change 4 life website has more information.
Brush teeth twice a day
Brush teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste. Choose a toothpaste that contains 1350-1500ppm. We were surprised to see that not all toothpastes contained the recommended amount of fluoride. If you are not sure ask the staff in your nearest Evans Pharmacy for advice. Brush teeth last thing at night and at least on one other occasion. After brushing spit, don’t rinse.
Under 3s should use a smear of toothpaste. 3-6 year olds should use a pea sized amount. Parents and carers should brush or supervise brushing until their child is at least 7 years old.
When should you take your child to the dentist?
Take your child to the dentist when their first tooth erupts. This will be when they are around 6 months age. Although this might seem quite young, it will get your child used to going to the dentist. There is currently a public health campaign to increase the number of children seen by a dentist before they are one year old.
Please come in and see us if you would like more advice.
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