During Dental Health Week, 5-11 August 2019, 25 Ballarat kindergartens will be getting on board this year’s theme: “How’s your oral health tracking?”
In the week preceding Dental Health Week, Midlands Kindergarten will be encouraging the importance of maintaining oral health from a young age. They will be one of the services to receive a dental screening from Ballarat Dental Health Services as a part of the Smiles 4 Miles program—an initiative of Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) that aims to improve the oral health of children and their families in high risk areas across Victoria.
The screening involves an educational session that teaches children to take responsibility of their own oral health via brushing technique and other details.
The key messages for Dental Health Week 2019 focus on the importance of oral health and align with the Smiles 4 Miles framework: drink well, eat well and clean well.
‘The daily steps for optimal oral health are brush teeth twice a day, eat a variety of fruit and vegetables, have fewer sugary drinks and have regular check-ups with your dentist,’ General Manager at Ballarat Community Health Katherine Cape said.
‘Ballarat is currently sitting above the average for children 0-17 years presenting with at least one decayed, missing or filled primary tooth. Alongside this, 50% of children 5-6 years have not visited a dentist before the age of five,’ said Ms Cape.
‘Poor eating habits play a major role in tooth decay. Sugary drinks and unhealthy food impact the bacteria in the mouth and affect the outer layer of tooth enamel, causing the decay.’
