For this year’s Dental Health Week, Teeth On Wheels has committed its resources to create a children’s educational animation aligned with this year’s theme “How much sugar is in your trolley?”. The animation will be posted on YouTube and is called “The Dangers of Sugar” in an effort to educate as many people as possible in the safest and most accessible way.
Dentists and dental teams will be able to use this very engaging and playful video to educate children about the harmful impact of sugar to their teeth and how to take care of them. It also illustrates why their teeth may require further dental treatment, which can help minimize their reluctance to want to visit the dentist.
The Australian Dental Association has appropriately themed this year’s Dental Health week topic about sugar, timely with the current restrictions where children are spending most of their time at home and have more access to their pantry. Sugary products are a significant contribution to tooth decay.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 50% of parents do not know where sugar sits in their trolley as it can be disguised in many different ways. Food and drink items can appear healthy at surface level, such as juice boxes and breakfast cereals, but many contain significant amounts of sugar.
The National Practice Manager of Australia’s largest school dental provider, Teeth on Wheels, shares their grave concerns for the oral health of children during this time. ‘We have seen an alarming increase in tooth decay in children after the first lockdown, and we are concerned with the ongoing oral health of children as the current pandemic continues’.
Teeth on Wheels visits hundreds of schools across Australia to care for the dental health of thousands of children and educate them about the importance of healthy teeth from a young age. Their focus is to provide dental care in an enjoyable and positive way in a hope that the children will continue prioritising their dental health throughout their adult life and on.
The publicity on the Oral Health of Australian children has been pleasingly magnified by the initiative promised by Premier Daniel Andrews for a $390 million school dental program to be delivered across Victoria to Primary & Secondary government school students.
“As an organisation that has been operating for over six years, we have overcome many challenges and learned how to be the best at providing mobile dental care for children. We love that they are excited about dentistry, and we welcome any assistance that we can provide to the Victorian government to ensure that this promise is well delivered and in the most positive way for children”
Joseph Zeid, Director of Teeth On Wheels
