Northland Kids’ Teeth Among New Zealand’s Worst

Northland Kids’ Teeth Among New Zealand’s Worst

65 percent of 5-year-olds in Northland have experienced some form of dental decay, the highest rate throughout the whole country, the Public Health Association Conference in New Plymouth was told today.

Shareen Ali, Northland District Health Board’s (DHB) Oral Health Promotion Advisor, said effective oral health promotion strategies are desperately needed in the region, and have been proven to work.

“In 2012 we ran a year-long toothbrushing programme for a number of low-decile schools in Northland. During the programme, the children were taught about maintaining a good diet and dental hygiene, which also covered things like how long to brush, when to brush and how much toothpaste to use.

“At the end of each term, the students were able to measure for themselves how effective the toothbrushing sessions had been by doing plaque disclosing. Students were asked to chew on a tablet with pink dye that highlights the spots in their mouths they've missed when brushing.”

“This was a vital part of the assessment. Children respond well to visual information, and seeing how well they were brushing compared with their peers made a huge impact.”

She said that Northland DHB also held regular one-on-one meetings with teachers from the schools to assess the programme, see how things were going and decide what could be improved.

Over the course of the year, the children’s toothbrushing improved and a decline in the quantity of plaque was noted.

“The smaller rural-based schools have a real passion for their whanau and their wellbeing, and we saw major improvements there. But if these results are going to continue and the overall oral health of Northland children is going to improve, we need to see more effective oral health promotion strategies implemented in the region.”

ENDS

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