The UK dental crisis is a concerning reality for most people but perhaps especially for parents. In 2024, 22.4%* of 5 year old children had obvious tooth decay. In fact, the most common reason 5 to 9 year olds** are admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth, with a staggering 47,581*** tooth extractions performed for 0 to 19-year-olds in 2022/23.
Dental issues are uncomfortable for everyone but for a child, their ability to learn effectively, enjoy playing or even eat can be greatly affected by their oral hygiene routine. Parents care deeply about their children following a good oral hygiene routine but often they’re not sure what it should consist of and when to start implementing a good oral hygiene routine
“A thorough cleaning routine is the best way to limit your child’s chances of tooth pain or discomfort,” says dental hygienist Emma Nelson, based in Derbyshire. “It’s vitally important to teach children good oral hygiene habits from a young age that will stay with them as they grow up”.
“Toothache or dental disease is miserable for anyone but for children, it has the added impact of disrupting their education,” continues Emma. “However, there are several things parents can do to maximise their child’s oral health and minimise the chance of dental discomfort.”
Here are Emma’s and DenTek’s Top Tips to encourage great oral hygiene in children:
- Ensure children brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between the teeth once a day. Leave at least 30 minutes after eating acidic foods before brushing to avoid eroding the tooth enamel
- Keep to a routine –a morning and evening routine is very important
- Start young! Start brushing as soon as milk teeth appear or even before you can see them
- Limit sugary snacks and drinks and replace with healthier options such as a fun fruit salad or try playing a game instead of eating
- Introduce interdental cleaning when 2 teeth touch between the ages of 2 and 6****
- Make it fun with songs and a star chart for every time your child brushes their teeth for 2 minutes
A toothbrush alone only reaches certain areas of the tooth so the importance of introducing children to interdental cleaning cannot be emphasised enough. Oral hygiene products such as DenTek’s floss picks are vital to reach areas of the tooth missed by the toothbrush. DenTek’s Kids Fun Flossers are designed to fit smaller teeth and mouths and are custom made to help kids have fun flossing while removing harmful food and plaque. They feature extra strong wild fruit flavoured fluoride coated floss. Dentists recommend children start interdental cleaning under adult supervision as soon as two teeth are touching****.
By starting early and teaching children how to do a thorough dental clean, parents are setting them up with good oral hygiene habits that will stay with them as they grow as well as ensuring they are healthy and pain-free during those all-important learning years.
DenTek products are available at Boots, Amazon, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Superdrug, Weldricks Pharmacy and through the DenTek website. Visit https://www.dentek-eu.com for more information.
*National Dental Epidemiology Programme 2024 survey
**Gov.uk
***Oral Health Foundation
****Dentistry for Children and Adolescents