Tooth decay is a serious public health problem in children and is the most common reason for hospital admission for five- to nine-year olds in England.
In 2019 in Plymouth 620 children had a total of 3,935 teeth extracted under general anaesthetic. Despite this, tooth decay is largely preventable.
The consequences of poor oral health in children are more than just tooth pain and infection. Dental decay can lead to difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising. The wider impact of childhood tooth decay includes children’s wellbeing, readiness to start school, and school attendance.
In a bid to reduce the numbers of children suffering with the results of tooth decay, Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise CIC (PDSE), working in partnership with Well Connected, a health and wellbeing charity based in Plymouth have developed a short animated film, designed for children in year 1 and 2 in primary schools.
‘Open Wide and Step Inside’ uses a cartoon animation and a cast of fun characters to engage children about oral health prevention advice.
The film follows the journey of Geoffrey the Giant. Geoffrey has toothache and on his way to visit Daisy the Dentist, he meets lots of his friends. Each of them has a different health message to pass on to help him keep his teeth healthy in the future. The animation includes a brushing song and a quiz; there is also a story book to accompany the film, which schools can use to embed the messages.
Karen Burn, who leads on dental outreach for PDSE, said:
“It is vital that children understand the importance of good oral health at an early age. By teaching them the key oral health messages and showing them how to brush their teeth effectively we can ensure they have the tools to look after their own oral health for the future. Tapping into their learnt behaviours we can encourage children to feel confident about brushing their teeth and visiting the dentist.”
Dr Robert Witton is the chief executive of PDSE, and was instrumental in developing Open Wide and Step Inside. He said:
“An important part of the programme is to support teachers to deliver key oral health messages throughout the year as part of the Key Stage 1 curriculum, using specially designed teacher resources from the animation, making sure children get the best advice about looking after their own teeth for life as part of their early years education.”
‘Open Wide and Step Inside’ is delivered by an Oral Health Educator who reinforces the messages in the film, using interactive props and offering the opportunity for the children to ask questions. This programme is currently offered to primary schools in Plymouth.
If you would like more information about the programme please contact the PDSE Dental Outreach Team on dentaloutreach@plymouth.ac.uk
