Story:Julie Cassidy,Oral Health Advisor
Burngreave is one of the worst areas in Sheffield for tooth decay in the under 5s. The Messenger spoke to Child Oral Health Advisor Julie Cassidy about her work in our area trying to help tackle this problem.
Julie explained that small children need help to brush their teeth properly and need to use fluoride toothpaste twice a day. To ensure that under 5s in the Burngreave area get at least one supervised brushing session, Julie has been visiting local nurseries setting up ‘brushing clubs’. These involve teaching nursery staff about child oral hygiene so they can help the children brush their teeth after lunch as a group activity.
She also provides children with tooth brushing packs containing toothbrushes and toothpaste. So far she has visited Watoto nursery and Ellesmere Children’s Centre.
As having strong teeth is beneficial to children’s overall health Julie can be found elsewhere in our community. She speaks to parents one-to-one at the baby clinic drop in at Burngreave Children’s Centre where she explains that dummies should not be dipped in anything and that children over one should use a baby cup rather than a bottle.
She also loans dental health resources to Pye Bank and Firs Hill primary schools for ‘My body’ and teeth related projects so they can keep up the good work started in the nurseries.
Julie advises parents to:
“Brush children’s teeth as soon as they erupt last thing at night and another time during the day using a small headed soft bristled toothbrush and only a peasized amount of family fluoride toothpaste. Put the toothpaste onto a dry toothbrush, brush teeth for at least two minutes and do not rinse. Give your child healthy food and drink in between meals.”
If you need to find a local NHS dentist you can visit the NHS Choices website and search by postcode. In a dental emergency call NHS 111 for advice.