Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Grey Bruce Health Unit
Baby Teeth Count!
Baby teeth count. That’s the message from the Grey Bruce Health Unit for April - Oral Health Month. Baby teeth need to be brushed twice a day. For some parents, brushing teeth can be a battle they don’t feel is worth fighting. However, these early teeth are vital for the child; ensuring adequate nutrition, speech development, social and emotional development, and they are the gateway for healthy adult teeth.
Results of dental screenings across Grey Bruce show younger children have higher numbers of decayed, missing and filled teeth as well as higher overall rates of decay, than in the same age groups provincially. (Grey Bruce Oral Health Status Report: 2005–2010). This trend is leading to unnecessary pain and extractions for children as they go under anesthesia for procedures that are preventable. Neglecting your child’s teeth can result in chronic pain, loss of teeth, lower body weight, difficulty learning and communicating, lack of success in school, and lower self-esteem.
Contact your local dental provider or Public Health for strategies to lessen the battle with brushing. Make those baby teeth count!
For further information, call Public Health at 519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 or visit our website at www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.
Media Contact:
Emma McGregor CDA II
Dental Health Educator
Grey Bruce Health Unit
519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 ext 1524
e.mcgregor@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
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