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?

Giles (putting my best inset trainer-type voice on) you're just not adopting a solution based approach here at all are you?

Have they evaluated it in Scotland?

But why does the 'solution' have to end up in schools? This could much more easily be a joined-up dentist/health visitor/doctor/nurse/hospital problem that gets sorted outside of school by professionals.

Ds' nursery used to brush after lunch but we got a letter saying they were stopping because an inspector had said children were brushing too much if they did morning and evening at home and lunchtime at nursery

But the solution isn't to take away responsibility from parents. The "nursery/school will sort it" attitude people seem.to have is part of the problem.

Teachers are there to teach. They didn't study and train for years to do your job.

The solutions always seem to end up with schools because children are effectively compelled into schools, while the rest is all optional, so much easier and cheaper to reach all children that way. From a government perspective they see schools as a way to enforce cultural change. Not sure it's often effective but I see why it's appealing to a bureaucracy.

When you think about Simon Steven's annoncement about the extra cash the NHS is going to need to maintain the current level of service because of increased demand, a large part of which is brought on by lifestyle choices, you can see why the government is a bit desperate. I think it's an unreasonable way to tackle cultural change and puts an unfair burden on families.

Have they evaluated it in Scotland?

If you google Childsmile you'll get lots of information about how the programme evaluates. It's not ongoing throughout the school years though.

Oddboots completely agree that brushing should not be after meals.
And should be before breakfast, not after.
Nurseries and school would do better not to serve sugary puddings or snacks, completely unnecessary.
And not surprised if DC are eating toms of fruit and fruit juice that they have cavities.
Have two teens - neither have ever had cavities, brushing in morning before breakfast (and don't eat sugary cereals), and then at night before bed.
When they were 12 got them flossing, so they now do that once a day.

Nurseries don't serve sugary snacks or puddings - that would mean that they weren't conforming to Govt guidelines (up here in Scotland) and could be in big trouble.

Another reason to move to Scotland... asked the nursery not to serve my DS pudding, when he got to about 14 months they said he was noticing the others had it so I gave in.

Sorry jumping in without reading all the thread.

I have terrible teeth and remember having six of my baby teeth taken out at the same but the dentist. Every one of my back teeth is filled to the brim and ALL this damage happened in childhood. I never brushed my teeth as a child, it just wasn't something my family did and I don't think this was unusual in the community I lived in. I never even had a toothbrush until I left home (at fifteen) and started trying to look after my teeth.

I am now very careful with my own children's teeth and would be absolutely devastated if they had any decay and would see it as a failure in my parenting. My mum on the other hand insists milk teeth don't matter because they fall out anyway and is forever trying to fed them sweets.

Some parents, for whatever reason, just won't look after their children's teeth so I think this is a great idea and wish it had been done when I was a child.

Kendodd
Me too
I had something like 12 fillings when I was 14, was devastated.
have spent a fortune at the dentist on caps etc.
Last year, appalling moment, just after (phew!) I had given a major presentation, the filling in my two front teeth crumbled and fell out .
My mum had false teeth, and most older people did, some would say proudly 'they had all their own teeth'.
DH and I were adamant our DC teeth would be all their own!
Hence my disappointment at nursery with sugary puddings etc - why???
Also upset at my parents trying to give my DC sweets when they were babies ('he needs to develop a sweet tooth' wtf?)
My parents were otherwise lovely with DC did lots of stuff with them that DH and I were too knackered to do, and so I never could be completely open with my mum re her false teeth - just had to keep insisting, and they obviously thought I was a killjoy spoilsport saying food should not be a 'treat'.
Same with 'low-fat' yoghourt (ugh) - they really didn't get it.

But the solution isn't to take away responsibility from parents. The "nursery/school will sort it" attitude people seem.to have is part of the problem.

I'm sorry but I think that's complete rubbish.

In no way is any initiative like this taking responsibility away from parents, it's just reinforcing the same message that most parents will be giving anyway. Somebody visited me children's preschool and showed them all how to brush their teeth and gave them all a tooth brush and toothpaste I thought this was great. The health visitor also spoke to me about teeth brushing when they were very little, great, this message should be coming to parents from every direction, including through their children.

I do get your point that parents SHOULD be doing this anyway and it is their responsibility but what do we do about the parents who don't do it? I guess just what we are doing now, remove their children's teeth in hospital.

Another reason to move to Scotland

Oh god no - we have the SNP and their endless threats of referendums and independence whilst ignoring the majority vote. Enough to drive you insane . Stay where you are is my advice!

I do get your point that parents SHOULD be doing this anyway and it is their responsibility but what do we do about the parents who don't do it? I guess just what we are doing now, remove their children's teeth in hospital

Or perhaps instead of putting money into temporarily improving situations for some kids it could be put into extra support services or into child services so kids don't have to be starving or physically abused to qualify fir intervention.

How about removing these ridiculous rules which mean that nothing can be said to anyone allowing parents to hide behind discrimination rules.

You never know it might actually free teachers up a bit so they can provide the kind of education that might prevent these problems in the future

Somebody visited me children's preschool and showed them all how to brush their teeth and gave them all a tooth brush and toothpaste I thought this was great.

Super. Do that.

What I don't want to do is be responsible for brushing thirty children's teeth every day. I have parents objecting that I don't hear their child every week (same parent hasn't heard them read all half term), I will not be held accountable for teeth cleaning too.

A talk by a dentist-brilliant. A free toothbrush-great. Oral hygiene as part of science/PHSCE-super. Daily brushing in primary schools-no.