Nurseries to supervise children brushing teeth.

[AnyoneForTardis]

sorry if this has been discussed, cant find a thread anywhere about it.

heard on news this morn.

children with bad oral hygiene, so nurseries are being asked to have some sort of teeth brushing lessons type thing.

Is this the nanny state again releieving yet more responsibility for the people (parents) who are supposed to be doing this?

why nurseries?

its basic logic and common sense for a parent to teach/help their young'un to clean their teeth, isn't it?

[Quitelikely]

They do it in Scotland. Personally I think it's a great idea, my dc love it. It's not causing any harm to anyone and there's no expense to the parents either.

[Spooklingbrook]

I think that's a great idea. It's important.

[CharlesRyder]

My DS (in Reception) cleans his teeth after lunch. All of KS1 do it.

He loves it and I think it's fine. It's not to teach them to clean their teeth, it's another opportunity to get their teeth clean.

[DoughnutSelfie]

The last time I was interested in this a couple of years ago, the BDA advice was brush twice a day only, supervised as over brushing not recommended. Off to Google what they have to say about this.

[Cirsium]

We supervised, and if necessary helped, children brush their teeth after lunch when I worked in a private nursery over ten years ago. Not sure we did any better job than they did at home as we had about 8 children in the bathroom at a time but I suppose it was an extra teeth brushing each day.

[AnyoneForTardis]

Im a former nursery teacher and we never had to do this.

the news was saying London had the biggest prob and many children end up having treatment in hospital.

that's more a prob than 1 brushing a day at a nursery, surely?

my DC does hers after breakfast, and after supper and her teeth are fine.

1st nd foremost isn't it the parents responsibility to make sure their kids go to nursery with clean teeth and then go to bed with clean teeth?

[DoughnutSelfie]

Oooh the BDA say yes please

Blimey

Dental health must be really awful, nationally. Crikey

[Allthelittlefoxes]

DS2 (age 3) does it in nursery. We're in Scotland. They brush their teeth after meals and snacks. I think it's a great idea and he's become much more co-operative about brushing at home because he's used to doing it with his friends. Can't see the harm in it personally, and it may well be the only brushing some kids get

[DoughnutSelfie]

Prob ties in with bottle feeding past 12 months and whatnot

[VileStatistyx]

It absolutely is the parents' responsibility but if they aren't doing it, what is better? To say well, they OUGHT to be doing it, so we are going to leave it and the children will just have to have rotten teeth - or ok, some parents aren't doing it and also, some children do actually take more notice if it's someone else telling them so because it's the children that suffer the pain, even though it is the parents' job, we are still going to do it because we aren't going to make them suffer for the lack of parental tooth brushing supervision

[DealForTheKids]

I remember when I was in year 3 (20 years ago!) we had a dentist come in to show us how to brush properly. He did the thing that stains your teeth and I understand it was to identify those children who needed a bit of help because for whatever reason their dental hygiene needed a hand. I don't think anyone had a problem with that and as far as I can see it's comparable...

[SleepyPanda]

its basic logic and common sense for a parent to teach/help their young'un to clean their teeth, isn't it?

Well, you'd like to think so wouldn't you.

Unfortunately, experience suggests that for some this really isn't the case.

Some of the nursery children I've taught have had shockingly decayed teeth even at just 3 years old. Visibly rotting at the front coupled with awful breath suggests that teeth are brushed very rarely.

Personally I'd welcome this idea. It won't stop the parents giving children sugary tea in a bottle at home (yes really!) but it would mean that we could ensure those children's teeth are brush once a day.

[Camolips]

Something else to beat nurseries and schools with if children's teeth don't improve. I would have thought this was something that was more in the health visitor/developmental checks domain.

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

I saw this too. I would have been delighted to allow nursery/prescool to get DD2 to brush her teeth, because I've never managed it.

[AnyoneForTardis]

Something else to beat nurseries and schools with if children's teeth don't improve. I would have thought this was something that was more in the health visitor/developmental checks domain.

^^ this too.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

Something else to beat nurseries and schools with if children's teeth don't improve. I would have thought this was something that was more in the health visitor/developmental checks domain

instead of having nurseries and schools take over the parents jobs shouldn't something be done to get the parents to actually do it.

Why is it that already lazy parents are rewarded by having even more of their responsibilities taken off their hands while those of us responsible people's kids suffer in the sense of time taken doing basic care that they could be playing and making friends.

[EMS23]

It standard in Wales. My kids love it and it made them more enthusiastic about brushing at home too.

[AnyoneForTardis]

Giles this is the point im trying to make, you've hit the nail on the head.

next they'll be asking schools and nurseries to bath the kids, make their dinner and put them to bed!

[elfycat]

I supervise DDs with twice daily brushing but they still have had a cavity each (3&5 yos). They eat an absolute ton of fruit each week (tonight was a punnet of strawberries, a plum and an apple each - this is after a full meal of shepherds pie and 3 veg which filled a dessert plate. They're as slim as anything but do a lot of activities and walking)

The dentist could see the brushing was adequate and suggested that they shouldn't have sweets (rarely), or desserts (only at school/nursery so every day), or fruit (school ask DD1 to take ina portion and supply another friut snack). I asked him what he thought I should give them for snacks, bearing in mind I also have to be concerned about long term cardiovascular health. He shrugged and admitted it was a conundrum.

If nurseries want to help they could try cutting out the cake. The least they could do is encourage children to brush after whatever sugar they've fed them. I have no problem with it being included in their education.

[howdoyousolvethisproblem]

We've been doing this for years in Scotland, all my doc have done it, and oldest is now 13 so at least 10. From feedback from dental nurses who come in to school regularly (I'm a teacher) it has saved millions in dental health care for children, and greatly reduced painful dental work for youngsters. Obviously, there are many children who are already doing this at home, but there are many for whom it is their first meeting with a toothbrush! So I think it's great.

[hollie84]

I work with young children and some of the teeth I see are awful - rotten, black/brown teeth, lots of pain, multiple teeth being removed under GA.

I don't know what the solution is though. I'm not sure if it's an education issue, a cultural issue or what.

[TarkaTheOtter]

If it means one child in the room goes from no teeth brushing to teeth brushed once a day surely it's a good thing. Of course it's the parent's job but it's pretty obvious that some aren't bothering and the children are suffering.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Why don't they do this anyway
Some children are in nursery from before 8am until 6pm, surely they don't go this long without brushing teeth.
It would never have occurred to me that they didn't.

[hollie84]

My children go 8am-6pm without brushing teeth