The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. Snack Right Smile Bright Award scheme. Dentistry. Community Health

Transcription

1 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust Snack Right Smile Bright Award scheme Dentistry Community Health

2 Introduction to dental health Dental decay levels in Doncaster are higher than the national average, and in some parts of Doncaster three times higher. Poor oral health can affect a pre-school child by causing the following. l Pain and suffering eg. difficulty sleeping, eating, poor appearance l Infection eg. abscess and possible life-threatening consequences l Damage to underlying adult teeth l Early loss of baby teeth l Risk of a general anaesthetic l Difficulty in chewing l Speech difficulties l Crowding of adult teeth l Poor appearance Dental decay can be reduced by doing the following. l Regular twice daily brushing with the correct strength fluoride toothpaste l Reducing the amount and frequency of sugary snacks and drinks l Regular visits to the dentist Parents/carers are responsible for brushing of children s teeth and taking their child to the dentist. To help children develop healthy eating patterns from an early age, it is important that the food and eating patterns, to which they are exposed, both at home and outside the home, are those, which promote positive attitudes to good nutrition. 2

3 Pre- school settings are in a unique position as it may be the only group where a child comes in to contact for a length of time with someone outside the family setting. This can provide new and positive experiences regarding food and good habits for the child. This yearly award is to support any children s centre, day care setting, playgroup, parent/carer and toddler group or childminder to promote healthy snacks and drinks that are good for teeth and will have an overall benefit to a child s health. These messages are consistent with those given from other agencies and supports the following. l Choosing Better Oral Health 2005 l Delivering Better Oral Health 2009 l Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, Every Child Matters (specific legal requirements, food and drink) l Eating well for the under 5 s in Child Care, (Caroline Walker trust guidelines) l Doncaster infant feeding good practice guidelines l Obesity strategy l BabyLife check l Birth to Five book 3

4 Introducing the Snack Right Smile Bright Award Our Aim Promote good oral health, healthy snacks and drinks in pre-school establishments in Doncaster. Our Objectives l Raise awareness of oral health issues in pre-schools, particularly regarding the role of nutrition. l Encourage childcare workers to incorporate nutrition and oral health issues into the ethos of the establishment. l Support child carers in promoting good nutrition and oral health practices in pre-schools. l Promote partnership with parents to improve their children s eating habits and to keep their children s teeth healthy. How to take part You and any staff will need to attend a short training course about the main oral health messages and the award. There is a short registration form to complete that asks for contact details and a date when you wish to start the award. There are a set of targets to achieve this award. Keep a portfolio of evidence of activities related to the targets that have taken place from the time you applied to take part in the award. 4

5 These could include the following. l Lesson plan l Story book/board l Copy of snack and drink policy l Display l Photographs l Write a short piece on what and how children and parents have taken part in the award. l Collect comments from parents/carers about the habits of their children before and after introduction of the award. Completion of the award Once you have completed all the targets and your portfolio over the year a member of the oral health team will come out to collect it. They will also conduct a short questionnaire to parents/carers about the award. The dental health team will look at the work you have done and as long as you have achieved the targets you will receive the Snack Right Smile Bright Award The dental health team is always willing to give any help and support needed. If you need more information please contact Chris Gittins (Dental Health Educator/ Co-ordinator) on

6 Supportive information for this award Drinks and snacks Water and milk are the safest drinks to have between meals. Water Tap water should be available at all times l It is thirst quenching l It will not damage the teeth Tap water, if given to children under six months of age, should be first boiled and cooled. Flavoured bottled waters are not recommended as they may contain high amounts of sugar, which can cause tooth decay. Milk l It will not damage the teeth l It contains calcium, which is important for strong bones l Full fat cow s milk can be given as a main drink from 12 months to 2 years l Semi- skimmed milk can be gradually introduced after the age of 2 years if the child is a good eater and having a varied diet l Pre- school settings can use full fat milk up to the age of 5 years l Skimmed milk is not suitable for under fives l You could make home made smoothies containing full fat milk/full fat plain natural yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit 6

7 Flavoured milks are not recommended as they contain sugar. If used they should be kept to meal times only. Cordials, squashes, fizzy drinks and manufactured smoothies may contain sugars or artificial sweeteners. If used they should be kept to mealtime only and well diluted. Children should be encouraged, from the age of six months, to drink from a cup or beaker. If a lid is required it should be of a free flowing type. Drinking from a bottle should be discouraged after the age of one year. Ideas for nutritious and healthy snacks A diet that is good for teeth will also benefit children s overall health. Children do need to eat regularly. Snacks between meals need to be nutritious and be free from added sugars which can damage teeth if eaten too often during the day. Suitable snacks include. l Washed, chopped fruit and vegetables eg. apples, bananas, peppers oranges, carrots, tomatoes, melon l Different type of breads including toast, chapatti, pitta bread, rice cakes, savoury scones, crumpets, cheese straws, plain english muffins, tea cakes l Water biscuits, breadsticks, cream crackers, crisp breads, Cornish wafers, oatcakes l Savoury dips l Plain popcorn (for older children) 7

8 l Dairy foods such as small cubes of cheese, plain full fat yoghurt with added fruit l Mini sandwiches or rolls filled with lean meat (ham, turkey, chicken or beef) or fish (tuna, salmon), cheese spread, grated cheese and egg. Salad vegetables such as cress, cucumber and tomatoes can be added to these. Dried fruit eg. raisins, sultanas and apricots contain sugar and stick to the teeth which can cause decay. They are fine as part of a meal or on a pudding. At snack time children should: l Wash their hands before eating l Be given a variety of choice l Be encouraged to pour out their own water or milk from a jug l Be encouraged to help in making sandwiches l Encouraged to use an appropriate knife to spread savoury toppings Celebrations of birthdays and other special occasions Food eaten to celebrate birthdays and special occasions is often based around cakes, sweets and biscuits. Try and encourage other ways to celebrate eg. having a pretend birthday cake, make him or her special person for the day. If food is to be used it should not always be sweet food. Having a written drinks and snacks policy allows you to show your commitment towards the healthy lifestyle and wellbeing of children. 8

9 Ideas and activities in which Snack Right Smile Bright supports the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Personal, social and emotional development l Organise a visit from a dental professional to talk about teeth and visiting the dentist l Set up a role play area of dentist or garden centre Communication, language and literacy l Talk about going to the dentist/shops l Talk about brushing teeth l Talk about animals teeth and what they eat l Discuss taste and smells of different foods l Songs or rhymes related to teeth or foods l A feely bag of different brushes/foods that the children have to talk about l Treasure baskets l Books around food, teeth, healthy living (fiction/non fiction) l Make own books l Role play fruit shop, dentist Knowledge and understanding of the world l Taste different fruits and vegetables and discuss origin l Grow some foods (watercress, mustard, bean shoots, fruit, vegetables) l Arrange a visit to a dentist, local shops l Look at foods from other countries l Design fruit salad l Cook healthy foods 9

10 Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy l Create a graph of favourite, colour and taste of tooth paste, most popular toothbrush colour l Matching different size, and/or colours of toothbrushes l Create a graph of favourite snacks used in the setting l Use teeth as basis for early number work Physical development l Treasure hunt for healthy foods l Set up a tooth brushing club (Please ask for more details) l Make a collage or mobile of healthy foods l Make a collage or mobile of smiling faces l Make a moving mouth Creative development l Make a big mouth with healthy and unhealthy teeth l Prepare snacks l Sing l Dance There are many more ideas in the Tooth Time booklet that is part of the dental resource box that can be loaned free of charge from your nearest children centre. Dental resource box A dental resource box containing blow up dental chair, dental back drop, dental coat, large mouth, toothbrush, reading books about fruit and vegetables and jigsaws, can be loaned free of charge from your nearest children s centre. 10

11 We value your comments If you require any help, advice or training of staff please contact. Christine Gittins Dental Health Educator/Co-ordinator Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust Doncaster Community Dental Service 2nd Floor The Flying Scotsman Centre St Sepulchre Gate West Doncaster DN1 3AP Telephone If you require this document in another language, large print, braille or audio version, please contact Patient Information on Produced by Doncaster Community Dental Service. September Revision due September Version: 1.0 The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust All rights reserved. 11

12 Dentistry Sustainable Forests / Low chlorine LS 13 09/11 V1 WFO Rotherham Hospital Moorgate Road Oakwood Rotherham S60 2UD Telephone