25 July 2016

Children at Rugby Beehive Nursery and Pre-school have received a special visit from the Oral Health Foundation to teach them about the importance of good oral health and what it means to have a healthy smile.

Dental advisor for the Rugby-based charity, Karen Coates, spent time with the nursery, on Cromwell Road, leading a session for the pre-school pupils.

Children took part in brushing demonstrations, fun activities about healthy diets and were all given guidance and tuition on how to brush their teeth correctly.

Karen Coates, dental advisor at the Oral Health Foundation said: "Having the chance to teach young children about the importance of their oral health and show them about basic oral hygiene is an excellent opportunity to give them the skills they need to take care of their teeth throughout the rest of their life.

"The morning was really fun and exciting. It was great to see the children engage with the activities and show enthusiasm to learn more about their teeth. Hopefully they will take away some of the things we did and incorporate them into their daily oral health routines.

"A simple routine of brushing last thing at night and at least one other time during the day, with a fluoride toothpaste, as well as eating a balanced diet and reducing the number of sugary drinks and snacks should be taught from a very early age - this equips children to keep their teeth for life and teaches the importance of always having a healthy smile."

Karen was joined by Mayor of Rugby, Sally Bragg, who said teaching good habits and routines at an early age means children are more likely to continue them through into adulthood.

Sally said: "It could be their first tooth or first visit to the dentist, a child's early experiences of oral health can impact on the rest of their lives. That's why it's so important for children everywhere receive the right information, delivered in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable way, which they can later adopt at home.

"By instilling the importance of a healthy mouth at a young age, we are not only creating good health for children now, but the benefits will most likely continue far into the future."

Sally has chosen oral hygiene as the theme for her year in office, inspired by her own health experiences and recent figures which revealed the rising number of children requiring teeth extraction under general anaesthetic.

To support her theme, Sally has selected the Oral Health Foundation as one of her Mayoral charities.

The children followed up workshops with several activities throughout the day and were given dental packs to take home and share with their families.

Each child also received a copy of The Lost Smile - a children's book developed by Wrigley as part of their Smile Back programme. Authored by award winning children's poet, Joseph Coelho, The Lost Smile, tracks the adventures of Kyle, a young boy who tries to find his family's lost smiles.

All proceeds from The Lost Smile Book are being donated to the Oral Health Foundation and Action for Children.

The Lost Smile is available for £4.99 by visiting the Oral Health Foundation's online shop at www.educatingsmiles.org/thelostsmile