To think schools could do dental checks?

[cheminotte]

Just reading that poor dental health is linked to poverty and how many families struggle to find an NHS dentist.
Also read an article earlier this year about a boy in America who died of teeth decay as the infection spread. And recently heard that tooth decay is linked to heart disease.
Could schools do a dental check in reception like they do an eyesight and hearing test?

Cheminotte, yes I do. I didn't know testing was done in Wales and Scotland, brilliant. I wish it was done in England

No. I don’t think they should. I don’t think thus is schools area, nor should it be.

why should the kids suffer if the parents don't?

But why should every single thing be the school's responsibility when the parents are inept?

Most schools used to have dental checks in the Uk, my son is 26 and he had regular checks in primary school, my daughter who is 12 has never seen a school dentist. Down to more cuts I suppose, this isn't a new idea, it's all down to money

Help to find an nhs dentist is great in areas where it is virtually impossible to get one, but actually taking a child for dental and sight checks is the parent's responsibility. I want schools to spend their time teaching my dc. The nit nurse would be handy though.

Parents need to parent so teachers can get on with the teaching! And dentistry requires far more equipment than an eye or hearing test.

Obviously finding a dentist is useless if the closest is 20 miles away.
I think dental care is more important than nit nurses but then my dc have never yet had nits.
As I said in the OP poor dental health can actually be a cause of death.
I'm 40 and I don't remember ever having dental checks at school.

If a parent can't get their DC to an annual dental and vision check at least once over a two year period then SS should be involved. Our DC go to the dentist every six months because it is possible to see plaque on their teeth even though we brush them. The dentist cleans their teeth. The service is free for children. There really isn't an excuse. It's so very basic.

Sure. Which service would you like to cut, or which tax would you raise, to provide it?

I think the teeth and health of children is worth a bit more tax, I guess you don't. If I had to take a guess at which political party you support, I'd guess Tory?

I wish they'd had this when I was a child. I have terrible teeth and all the damage was done before I was twelve. Tooth brushing was just not at all done in my family and my diet was terrible. It's all very well for people to say parents should do this, and they're right, they should, but some parents just don't do it and their children suffer for it.

where would the money come from

Austerity is ideology.

If we set up state boarding schools, not only could we teach all this stuff, we could control diets and exercise and produce fitter, healthier children. Or we could do more stock control and stop indiscriminate breeding. Or have compulsory euthanasia for the over-70s to free up cash and resources. So many possibilities!

But the reality is that, if your parents are shit, you will suffer. And the answer is to support/put pressure on parents not to be so shit, not absolve them of all responsibility.

I think the teeth and health of children is worth a bit more tax, I guess you don't. If I had to take a guess at which political party you support, I'd guess Tory?

I would imagine not.

If people want taxes spent on dental checks in school, money either needs to be given to schools to pay dentists to come in, or money to be given to the NHS to reimburse dentists for the work they would otherwise be doing.

There is no money in school budgets for this as it stands. Many schools cannot afford paper and pencils, textbooks or even experienced teachers.

If you want this to happen, the question should perhaps be...

'AIBU to want the government to cover the cost of yearly dental checks for children in schools for those parents who won't take them to their free appointments?'

Schools (and the NHS) no longer have the budget to allow such things so this has to be directed at the government.

If we set up state boarding schools, not only could we teach all this stuff, we could control diets and exercise and produce fitter, healthier children. Or we could do more stock control and stop indiscriminate breeding.

Like Brave New World. We could remove the need for having those pesky children in parents' homes altogether!

Pass the Soma!

But the reality is that, if your parents are shit, you will suffer. And the answer is to support/put pressure on parents not to be so shit, not absolve them of all responsibility.

Absolutely. If there are parents that are this shit-should they be having children? Should SS be involved? Should the government consider introducing Ofparent, especially as Ofsted has been such an overwhelming success?

Schools (and the NHS) no longer have the budget to allow such things so this has to be directed at the government.

Actually I don't see why it would be any more expensive to treat children's teeth in school rather than at the dentist. I imagine in could well be cheaper.

Sounds like a good idea, at least in areas where it’s hard to find a NHS dentist. I’d guess the money would come from NHS budgets, the letter we got home after the Reception health checks (vision, hearing etc) had an NHS letterhead.

The DCs school had a visit from a dentist to learn about teeth brushing at school recently. But the dentist was a parent who’d asked the school if he could come in on his day off to give the children a session on basic dental hygiene, rather than being part of some official scheme.

The amount some expect schools to do is astounding.

Healthcare is a parenting basic. If a parent can't be bothered to take a child to the dentist twice a year the child is likely to have many more problems that just that issue.

It will be more expensive to provide adequate dentistry to all children, rather than leaving areas where no NHS dentists for miles around are taking patients so the haves pay for private and the have-nots just don't go.

Actually I don't see why it would be any more expensive to treat children's teeth in school rather than at the dentist. I imagine in could well be cheaper.

My school has no space in which a dentist could work with children. There are no spare classrooms so the only place is the schools hall (used constantly for either PE, music lessons or as a dinnner hall/breakfast club/after school club) or the head's office which is the size of a cupboard. I suppose it could be done in the playground or a very narrow corridor, though I suspect the dentist would rather be in their surgery with decent lighting and a chair.

Anyway-I accept other schools may have more facilities. Most children also prefer to see the dentist with their parents close to hand.

Whether it's cheaper for the dentist to be at a school or the surgery is still for the government/NHS to decide, as schools have no say in either.

Don’t feed your young children squash in a bottle, etc! & clean their teeth!! It’s not rocket science.

Silver - agree.

of course the problem is the children of the cba parents shouldn't suffer, but as a culture, having children without giving it an iota of thought is hugely encouraged and that is a massive problem. Schools and teachers are now suffering because of this culture and yet it goes on and on.

then if you try and get sterilised, all fucking hell breaks loose! It's insane.

So you know how people can’t get an nhs dentist? Who do you think the dentists doing the checks in schools would be?