Something to get your teeth into

On 15th September 2010 Year 3 were visited by an Oral Health Educator. Mrs Janice Donovan was invited to speak in connection with our science topic for this term ‘Teeth and Eating’. What an inspirational talk it was too - the class has never put so many vegetables on their plate at lunch! Mrs Donovan discussed the different types of teeth, their function in the body and diseases to which teeth are susceptible. The children were horrified at some of the images of decayed and rotting teeth and unanimously resolved never to let their teeth fall into such a condition. The class enjoyed using ‘Charlie’, a giant working model of a human jaw and eagerly consumed the information about the PH levels of saliva, tooth enamel and the chemical breakdown of food.

Our visitor was encouraged by the children’s thoughtful responses to questions and their willingness to participate in the discussion. She continued by demonstrating how to effectively remove plaque through brushing teeth and furthered by engaging the children in categorising food into groups and outlining when it was appropriate to eat what sustenance and in what quantity. We were delighted when Mrs Donovan dramatised a visit to the dentist and using realistic resources explained about tooth care and maintenance. Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed her visit and we have all been enriched by the knowledge she imparted.