WHAT IS ORAL HEALTH?
Oral health is the primary physical health factor that determines the overall health of the body. As per the World Health Organization, oral health means that a person is free from any pain, infection, and sores in his or her mouth. Having oral health also means that you are free from any facial or throat cancer. It also indicates that you do not have any diseases directly related to gums and teeth like tooth decay or loss. You also must not have any disorders which make it hard to bite, chew, swallow, smile, and speak if you are to be considered orally healthy.
HOW TO EDUCATE KIDS ABOUT ORAL HEALTH?
Each school needs to have separate classes to educate their kids about their physical and mental health. In that series, Oral Health Care should be one of the essential classes.
A school can hire a professional to teach kids about their oral health. However, the more efficient way is to hire a professional for the teachers so that they can educate the kids they teach. It is so because children are closer to their teachers and listen out to them more. Also, the teachers know more about the kids they teach so they can alter the information so that his or her students can take away something.
- As per the dental professionals, you must teach kids about:
- Brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
- Encourage kids to drink tap water because it has fluoride.
- Visiting a dentist to ensure oral health. (Everyone, especially kids, should visit their dentist at least once a year. A lot of times, there is no pain but a disorder that can mar the appearance when the child grows. For example, braces for teens to help them improve their teeth in shape)
To know more about how to educate kids at school about oral health, you should look at this guide to understand how and what to teach kids about oral health. Forbes has also answered some common questions regarding your children’s oral health.
WHY IS PROMOTING ORAL HEALTH AMONG SCHOOL KIDS IMPORTANT?
As per the stats, oral diseases are the most common diseases people are affected throughout their life. A 2016 study shows that half of the world was inflicted, with tooth decay. These stats are enough to tell you why oral health and educating about it is essential. However, here are a few other reasons to show why schools should be promoting oral health:
- Oral health ensures overall heal
The mouth is one of the major openings of a human body through which you intake your food. Thus, food has a lot of bacteria. Though they are essential bacteria, some can be harmful. Your mouth leads to your respiratory and digestive systems. So, if one’s oral health is not right, other significant systems can suffer too or vice versa. A healthy mouth determines the overall health of your body.
- Oral health saves you from many oral and other physical diseases
Taking care of your oral health leads to a healthy mouth. It means that your gums are health and your teeth are clean and strong and also in shape. Basic oral health enables you to stay away from tooth decay, tooth loss, and mouth or throat cancer. Apart from keeping your mouth light and healthy, taking care of oral health reduces the risk of many other diseases:
- Endocarditis: It is the infection that develops in a heart because some harmful bacteria from mouth attach themselves to the bloodstream.
- Cardiovascular disease: Many heart diseases and clogged arteries are related to bad oral health.
- Pneumonia: Respiratory diseases catch you quickly if you have bad oral health because harmful bacteria flow down into your lungs.
- Digestive diseases: If you do not eat clean or do not brush your teeth and take other precautions to keep your oral health, you can easily get stomach cramps or problems with the digestion of food.
- Oral health ensure the longevity of teeth
That is the primary benefit of oral hygiene that everyone knows. However, people tend to ignore this. If you are teaching your children to brush their teeth twice a day and eat healthy food, there is a high chance they will end up having strong teeth which will last longer when they get old.
- A fine smile boosts your confidence and maintains a beautiful appearance
Who does not know that? If you have clean teeth and they are in shape, you feel confident to flash a smile. It does not only adds your confidence but also gives people around you a positive social vibe. For your kid to have that boost of confidence through his or her appearance, you need to teach about oral health care.
Forbes has published an amazing article on oral health and growing children which can give you, as a teacher, some insight into the oral health of children.
CONCLUSION
The reason people happen to belittle oral health care is that it is very easy to take care of oral hygiene. All you need to do to start is brush your teeth twice. If you cannot do that, you cannot teach your children to do that either. It is also the reason why schools should be promoting oral health care. With a little awareness, we can build strong teeth and beautiful smiles.
