Promoting Good Dental Hygiene in Children  

Implementing good dental hygiene habits in children is essential to fostering healthy teeth well into adulthood. From parents to child care providers to teachers, there are lots of people in a child’s life who should be active in promoting proper dental care. In this week’s blog, we discuss the most common causes of decay in children and how parents, teachers and child care providers can promote good dental hygiene habits.  

What are the most common causes of decay in children?  

Although dental health in children has improved in the last decade, it remains an ongoing topic that needs to be promoted. It is estimated that 50% of children aged six years have caries. In fact, a recent study on dental decay in young children revealed that approximately 4o% of children aged five to ten years had experienced caries in primary teeth. The most common causes of decay for children are prolonged used of bottles (especially through the night), delayed tooth brushing, irregular and incorrect tooth brushing, use of dummies covered in sweet substances, frequent snacking, high sugar diets and lack of parental concern or awareness.  

How parents, teachers and child care providers can help 

Parents are primarily responsible for teaching children good dental hygiene and care. However, there are also other adults in a child’s life who should play a significant role in promoting healthy dental habits, such as teachers and child care providers. These figures can establish high standards of dental health among children by recording contact details for the child’s dental practitioner on enrolment, developing oral health policies and strategies in consultation with dentists, parents and staff, administering age appropriate dental health education programs and advising parents if staff notice any sign of tooth decay.  

Child care centres can also help the prevention of tooth decay in children by providing fluoridated water as a preference to other drinks, limiting or removing any sugary snacks offered to children throughout the day, avoiding putting babies and young children to bed with a bottle and considering employing a tooth brushing program.  

At Eden Rise Family Dental Practice in Berwick, we offer a range of children’s dentistry services, including general check-ups, cavity fillings, tooth extraction and children’s braces and retainer. Our friendly team of all female dentists will help put your little one at ease. For more information or to book an appointment, please do not hesitate to call us on (03) 9702 611.