Oral Health

Our Oral Health Parent Champion  

We are deighted that Mrs Aliya Iqbal is our Oral Health Parent Champion! Mrs Iqbal is a fabulous parental role model for oral health, and will be taking part in the Blackburn with Darwen 'Kind to Teeth' training programme that promotes healthy drink habits for parents of young children, to help reduce the risk of tooth decay. 

Mrs Iqbal is happy to answer any questions parents may have and is always pleased to give advice. If you see Mrs Iqbal at the school gates, please say "hi"!

Thank you Mrs Iqbal, we really appreciate your help and advice.

Becoming an Oral Health Parent Champion for Ashworth Nursery School

If you are interested in becoming an Oral Health Parent Champion for Ashworth Nursery School, please speak to Mrs Burnside.

Register with an NHS Dentist

Oral Health

Why oral health is included in the EYFS framework

This has been included because good oral health habits need to be formed from the earliest age. Tooth decay is largely preventable, but it’s still a serious problem among young children.

Nearly a quarter of 5 year olds in England have tooth decay, with 3 or 4 teeth affected on average. Tooth extraction is one of the most common procedures for children under 6 in hospital. Extraction is also the most common reason for hospital admission for children aged 6 to 10. Children from more deprived backgrounds are more likely to have tooth decay.

Children who have toothache, or need treatment, may have pain or infections. This can have a wider effect and lead to problems eating, sleeping, socialising and learning.

Promoting oral health

Be playful with children about oral health. Suggest they brush the teeth of dolls or soft toys. Read stories about teeth and smiles. Talk about healthy food and drinks that help to grow strong teeth, and those that do not. Get them to look at their own and sibling/parents' teeth, using mirrors.

You can also support children’s awareness of oral health by:

• visiting dentists regularly
• reading stories about visiting the dentist
• watching YouTube videos such as 'Topsy and Tim go to the Dentist'
• brushing teeth together
• establishing toothbrushing routines

Useful resources

Children’s Oral Health: healthcare e-learning, aimed at parents, early years healthcare workers, teachers, nurses, GPs and the public.

PACEY’s oral health advice: includes factsheet for parents.

PACEY’s nutrition spotlight, encouraging healthy eating habits.

Delivering oral health from Public Health England, includes a quick guide to healthy mouths in children.

Change4life children’s centre toolkit from Public Health England, for promoting healthy eating and dental health.

Do dummies affect speech?

The use of dummies, also called pacifiers or comforters, is a common practice in many countries.

Advantages

For many families, the most important advantage of the use of dummies is their role in helping babies settle down to sleep or to soothe them. Some studies show that dummies can help establish good sucking patterns in very young babies, especially those born prematurely.

Several research projects have begun looking at a correlation between dummy sucking and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and whether using a dummy lowers the risk of SIDS. This area of investigation is very new and SIDS support organisations do not recommend the use of dummies as a preventative measure.

Disadvantages

There are a few suggested disadvantages:

• Stopping breast-feeding early – however research in this area is undecided;

• Increased risk of middle ear infections (otitis media/glue ear);

• Increased risk of dental problems and crooked teeth if used beyond age three.

Development of speech 

There is some evidence to suggest that frequent dummy use in the daytime may affect young children’s speech sound development. Common sense would suggest that having something in their mouths will make babies and toddlers less likely to babble and experiment with sounds, both of which are important for the development of speech. However, current evidence suggests that any speech sound errors associated with dummy use do clear up as children get older.  

Advice for Parents & Carers

There is a lot of confusing advice available about the use of dummies and it is important to be aware of the range of arguments.

Dummies can be useful in settling young babies and encouraging strong sucking patterns, but their specific usefulness declines after a developmental age of about six months. It may also be advisable to restrict dummy use to night time where possible.

However, there is no strong evidence that dummy use will impact the development of speech skills in young children. There is useful advice and tips on reducing dummy use here.