document resume sp 029 621 - ericdocument resume ed 288 848 sp 029 621 title dental health education...

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 288 848 SP 029 621

TITLE Dental Health Education Curriculum Guide for Use WithHead Start Children and Families.

INSTITUTION American Dental Association, Chicago, Ill.SPONS AGENCY Administration for Children, Youth, and Families

(DHHS), Washington, DC. Head Start Bureau.REPORT NO DHHS-OHDS-86-31535PUB DATE 85NOTE 156p.PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Use Guides (For Teachers) (052)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Curriculum Development; *Dental Health; Eating

Habits; Elementary Education; Health Education;*Learning Activities; Parent Teacher Cooperation;Physician Patient Relationship

IDENTIFIERS Project Head Start

ABSTRACTThis teaching guide for a dental health curriculum

for children in the Head Start Program contains lesson plans for thefollowing areas: (1) introduction to the dental health program; (2)visiting the dentist; (3) awareness of the mouth; (4) the importantfunctions of the mouth; (5) the importance of keeping teeth and gumsclean; (6) toothbrushing; (7) the importance of fluoride andsealants; (8) wise food choices for a healthy mouth; (9) keepingteeth safe; and (10) reinforcement activities for dental health. Eachlesson contains the following sections: (1) purpose of the lesson;(2) materials needed; (3) background information for the teacher; (4)starting the lesson; (5) classroom activities; (6) lesson review; and(7) a letter for parents. A resource list of organizations to contactfor more information about dental health is included, as well as homevisit activites to involve parents and information on caring for thedisabled child's dental health. Also included is a questionnaire foruse with Head Start families. (JD)

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESOffice of Human Development ServicesAdministration for Children, Youth and FamiliesHead Start Bureau

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Dental Health CurriculumSCOPE OF INTEREST NOTICE

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DENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION CURRICULUM GUIDEFOR USE WITH HEAD START CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

FOREWORD

We are pleased to make this Dental Health Curriculum,funded by the Head Start Bureau, available to Head Startprograms throughout the nation. The curriculum, developedespecially for teachers to use in the classroom and withparents, will be a valuable tool in promoting the dentalhealth of children. Use of the curriculum will enhancethe child's awareness of the importance of tooth brushingafter meals, and regular dental care. It will also helppromote positive dental h lth att.tudes djabits.

DbdSe LivingsCommissioner, Administration for

Children, Youth and Families

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments iii

Foreword: To the Teacher v

LESSONS

Introduction of "Smiley the Super Pup" 1

Visiting the Dentist 5

Awareness of the Mouth 19

The Important Functions of the Mouth 25

The Importance of Keeping Teeth and Gums Clean 33

Toothbrushing 40

The Importance of Fluoride and Sealants 53

Wise Food Choices for a Healthy Mouth 62

Keeping Teeth Safe 76

Reinforcement Activities for Dental Health 83

Resources 90

Home Visit Activities 92

Your Role in Helping Children With Disabilities 94

United States Public Health Service RegionalHead Start Dental Directors 97

Questionnaire 99

5

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Dental Health Education Curriculum was developed bythe American Dental Association's Bureau of HealthEducation and Audiovisual Sevices through a grant fundedby the Head Start Bureau. The grant was administered bythe Division of Maternal and Child Health, Bureau ofHealth Care Delivery and Assistance, Health Resources andServices Administration, United State Public HealthService, Department of Health and Human Services.

A special note of thanks and appreciation is due the staffat the Bureau of Health Education and AudiovisualServices, American Dental Association, for theirprofessional expertise in this project: Mr. RandallGrove, Director; Ms. Susan Seffrin, Assistant Director;Me. Mary A. Banas, Ms. Denise S. LeBloch, and Mr. RichardJ. Walther.

Grateful acknowledgement is also made to the followingprofessional colleagues for their guidance and assistancein the project: Public Health Service - Ms. Annie Barnes,Mr. William Beacham, Dr. William Hall, Dr. Vince Hutchins,Ms. Mary Beth Kinney, Ms. Susan Lockhart, Dr. MichaelRoberts, and Dr. William Warren; Head Start Bureau,Central Office Staff - Ms. Pamela Coughlin, Dr. MargueriteMazique, Dr. Phyllis Stubbs, Dr. Margaret Phillips, Mr.Clint Mitcham, Mr. Clennie Murphy, Ms. Marion Slatin andMrs. Josie Reifsnyder.

Special recognition is extended to the following RegionalHead Start Dental Directors and to other individuals whoserved as consultants for this project:

iii

Cheryl Aiello, M.S.H.P.Linda Banas, Clerical

CoordinatorEarnestine Bernard, Head Start

Program DirectorPamela Bobst, G.D.H., B.A.Linda Brown, Head Start

TeacherKaren Calhoun, Head Start

Program Education Coord.Susan Cohen, R.D.H.Sherman Cox, D.D.S., M.P.H.Deborah Deatrick, M.S.P.HPam Edd, R.D.H., M.S.John Elliott, D.D.S., M.P.H.

__Caswell Evans, D.D.S ., M . P . H .___Jan Goldsmith, D.M.D ., M . P H .

Jerry Gribble, D.D.S., M.P.H.Claud Haisley, D.D.S., M.P.H.William Hall, D.D.S., M.P.H.Richard Hastreiter, D.D.S.,

M.P.H.Susan M. Hegland, Ph.D.Margaret Hinkle, M.S., R.D.Mildred H. Jackson, R.D.H.,

M.P.H.Dora Jauregui, Child Care

Professional

Mary Beth Kinney, DentalEducation Specialist

Anthony Kiser, D.D.S., M.P.H.Raymond A. Kuthy, D.D.S.,M.P.H.

Robin M. Lawrence, D.D.S.,M.P.H.

Martin Maclntyre, D.D.S.,M.P.H.

Joan M. McGowan, R.D.H., Ph.D.Trudy McNulty, R.D.H.Sharon Molargik, Head StartProgram Director

Symphony O'Keefe, R.N., M.Ed.Connie O'Meara, R.D.H.Holly Owens, Head Start

Program DirectorElizabeth RussellRobert Selwitz, D.D.S., M.P.HCharles E. Smith, D.D.S.,

M.P.H.Anita Spainhower, Head Start

TeacherSue Story, Head Start ProgramsManager

Lawrence Walker, D.D.S., M.P.H.

Finally an expression of appreciation is made to Mrs. SharonMolargik, Director of the Garrett, Indiana Head Start Program, andMrs. Earnestine Bernard, Director of the Michigan City, Indiana,Head Start Program for their invaluable assistance and cooperationin preliminary piloting of lessons from this Dental Healthcurriculum in their Head Start classrooms.

Robert W. Beck, D.D.S., M.P.H.Project Director, Dental Head StartUnited States Public Health Service1985

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1

FOREWORD: TO THE TEACHER

There are many ways you can provide meaningful learningexperiences about dental health that can help your HeadStart children develop good attitudes and habits. Learn-ing about good dental health care at an early age can helpchildren throughout their lives. Dental disease can beprevented and healthy teeth can last a lifetime.

This teaching guide has been prepared to assist you inconducting dental health lessons that can help your HeadStart children develop an understanding of the importance oftheir teeth and of ways to keep a healthy mouth.

The guide contains lesson plans for the following areas:

*Introduction to the Dental Health Program*Visiting the Dentist*Awareness of the Mouth*The Important Functions of the Mouth*The Importance of Keeping Teeth and Gums Clean*Toothbrushing*The Importance of Fluoride and Sealants*Wise Food Choices for a Healthy Mouth*Keeping Teeth Safe*Reinforcement Activities for Dental Health

NOTE:

The introductory lesson is provided to introduce the chil-dren to a puppet character, "Smiley, the Super Pup," who isused at the end of every lesson to review the concepts thathave been presented. Although the use of the puppet isoptional, as each lesson can be presented without it, it isfelt that the puppet will provide a fun way to review eachlesson and will help the children connect all the areas ofdental health that are presented in the curriculum. Apattern for making Smiley is included in the introductorylesson.

Depending on your particular situation, you may choose tochange the order of some of the lessons. The "Visiting theDentist" lesson was placed first because Head Start childrenoften have their first dental visit in the beginning of theHead Start year. In these instances, it is important forthe children and their parents to become familiarized withwhat occurs during a dental visit so they will not befearful of the experience.

8 v

Each lesson contains the following sections:

Purpose - This section provides information for theteacher on why the lesson is presented and what the lessonhopes to accomplish.

Materials Needed - This section indicates what items youWill need, such as:

*felt, old magazines, construction paper, crayons, etc.*the activity pages (found at the end of each lesson) thatneed to be duplicated for use during the lesson*parent letters (also found at the end of each lesson) andany other information that should be duplicated and senthome to parents.

Background Information for the Teacher - This section pro-vides detailed information about specific dental healthtopics to help the teacher present the lesson.

Starting the Lesson - This section provides specific waysto start each lesson. It includes discussion questions toask the children to help them develop a foundation for thedental health information that will be presented to them.

Classroom Activities - This section provides activities toconduct with the children to help reinforce the dentalhealth information that has been presented to them. Manyof the activities involve other areas of the curriculum,such as music, art, counting, and language arts. Thispresents an opportunity to integrate the dental healthlessons with other areas of the Head Start curriculum.

Lesson Review, Puppet Story (Optional) - This section pro-vides an opportunity to review 'the lesson by using thecharacter "Smiley, the Super Pup" in a puppet story. Thepuppet story scripts are written so as to involve thechildren by asking questions to which they may respond.

Parent Letter - A letter for parents is provided at theend of each lesson. It may be duplicated and sent homewith every child to inform parents of the dental healthlesson that has been presented at Head Start. You maysign the letter, cut off the lesson title, and duplicate acopy for each child to take home, or you may rewrite theletters, adding information that especially relates toyour classroom. In some lessons there are special infor-mation pages for copying and attaching to the parent let-ter.

vi

Included at the end of the guide is:

*A Resource List of organizations to contact for moreinformation about dental health.

*Home Visit Activities to provide ideas of ways to involveparents in dental health activities for their families.

*Information on caring for the disabled child's dentalhealth.

Each of the lessons may take several days or even weeks tocomplete, depending on your Head Start class and the amountof time you spend on each activity. Within each lessonthere are suggestions for statements you may say to thechildren and questions to ask them. These may, however, bechanged by you according to what you believe is most easilyunderstood by your Head Start class. Whenever possible, youare encouraged to add activities or change those suggestedso that they will be most meaningful for the children withwhom you are working, given their specific background, theirprevious experiences, and their family lifestyle.

Pages of the manual are perforated and have holes punched inthem so they will fit into a three-ring binder. This hasbeen done to enable you to remove pages that you wish toduplicate and then replace them so that all lesson pages maybe kept together in a binder. Before you cut out a patternor color an activity page, be sure that the original pagehas been returned to your manual so you will be able to useit again. It is suggested in some lessons that you copyactivity pages, color them, and mount them on heavy paper tomake them sturdier for handling. All pages are designedwith black ink so that you may easily copy them.

It is hoped that this program will develop within Head Startchildren a good feeling about themselves and an awareness ofthe importance of good dental health. Be sure to encourageyour children to participate in the activities and discus-sions. Provide them with positive reinforcement when theyparticipate. Children learn best when they have a goodself-image and are given an opportunity to actively partici-pate in learning experiences without the threat of beingwrong.

Please be sure to return the questionnaire found on the lastpage of this manual. Your feedback regarding this programand your ideas for other Head Start dental health educationactivities will be very useful in the future development ofHead Start dental health education materials and programs.

DENTAL HEALTH EDUCITION CURRICULUM GUIDEFOR USE WITH EEAD START CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

LESSON: INTRODUCTION OF "SMILEY, THE SUPERPUP" (Optional)

Purpose:

MaterialsNeeded:

To introduce the children to apuppet character who will be usedthroughout the dental health les-sons and to establish this newcharacter as a friend who wants tohelp the children learn all abouttheir teeth and mouth and how totake good care of themselves. Theuse of the puppet is optional.Each lesson can be presented withor without the use of "Smiley, theSuper Pup."

Colored feltButtons (optional)Needle and threadScissorsGlueFelt markers (permanent ink)Activity Page, "Smiley, the SuperPup" Pattern

Activity Page, "Smiley Face"

Background Because children enjoy puppetInformation stories, a puppet character,for the Teacher: "Smiley, the Super Pup," has been

designed to be used throughout thelessons on dental health.

These puppet stories have beendeveloped to reinforce the con-cepts that have been introduced ineach lesson. Each puppet storyrepeats the main ideas of the les-son and includes several questionsfor the puppet to ask the chil-dren. The questions are designedto be success-oriented so thatmore than one answer can be cor-rect. Try to encourage a

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Starting the Lesson:

variety of answers in order toinvolve as many students as pos-sible.

The script of each puppet storyprovides you with a "working"model for use with the puppet.You should feel free, hmgever, tochange the wording, to repeat thequestions in order to involve asmany children as possible, or todrop any questions that seem inap-propriate for your particularclass.

Although the use of the puppetstories is optional, using"Smiley, the Super Pup" at the endof each lesson will help the chil-dren realize that the concepts ofeach lesson are all connected toone central theme -- dental health.

Before starting this introductorylesson, make "Smiley, the SuperPup" by using the patterns andinstructions given on the activitypage titled "Smiley, the SuperPup."

Suggestion for storing the pup-pets Using a shoe box or anyother box of similar size, make adog-house in which to keep Smileywhen rlt in use. Turn the boxupside down and cut out an openingfor the door. The top of a shoebox may be folded to form aV-shaped roof for the house. De-pending on what art supplies areavailable, you may want to paintthe box or cover it with paper.

Tell the children that you wantthem to meet a new friend. Havethe children close their eyeswhile you get the "Smiley, theSuper Pup" puppet and put it onyour hand. Tell the children toopen their eyes, and then say,

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"This is a new friend of ours,Smiley, the Super Pup. Would yousay 'hi' to Smiley?"

Move Smiley as though waving tothe children, and using your ownvoice or one you make up espe-cially for the character, say,"Hello, boys and girls. I'm gladto see you. My name is Smiley.Your teacher has told me that youare very special boys and girls.Can you give me a big smile? Whatterrific smiles you haves I feellucky to be with you. We're goingto have fun together learningabout how to take good care of ourteeth."

"I have to go now, but I will seeyou again soon. Bye!"

Put the puppet away until you areready to use it in the next les-son. Tell the children thatSmiley will be telling them lotsof good stories about teeth.

Classroom 1. Rhythm Activity - teach the chil-Activities: dren the following rhythmic chant:

Smiley, the Super Pup, came to ourroom.

Smiley, the Super Pup, come againsoon.

Smiley, the Super Pup, teach us todo,

Things that will make us smilelike you.

2. Art Activity: Give each child acopy of Activity Page, "SmileyFace." Have children point to thedog's eyes. Have children pointto the dog's nose. Have childrenpoint to the dog's teeth. Havechildren count the dog's top

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teeth. Distribute crayons to thechildren so they can color theirdog picture.

Note:

You may want to discuss with thechildren that some dogs are nice,friendly dogs, and some dogs arenot nice and friendly. Explain tothe children that they should notpet dogs unless they know the dogis a nice, friendly dog.

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14

"Smiley, the Super Pup" Pattern

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"Smiley, the Super Pup" Pattern

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Smiley Face

CO

v--1

LESSON: VISITING THE DENTIST

Purpose:

Materials Needed:

To familiarize children with thedental office setting and theprocedures followed during a den-tal visit.

White shirtChairFlashlightNapkinsNon-breakable mirrorModel of teeth (optional)Large toothbrush (optional)Activity Pages, "Community HelperFlannel Board Pictures"

CrayonsPaperActivity Pages, "A Visit tothe Dentist"

Parent Letter, "Visiting theDentist"

Attachment to Parent Letter,"Your Child's First Visit to theDentist"

Background For good dental health, everyoneInformation should see a dentist regularlyfor the Teacher: During these check-ups, the

mouth will be examined, theteeth cleaned, and any dentaldisease treated.

Dentists have many years of spe-cial training in the preventionand treatment of dental disease.A dental hygienist may work withthe dentist. The hygienist mayclean teeth, show people how tobrush and floss, apply fluorideto teeth, and take X-rays.Another member of the dentalstaff is the dental assistant,who aids the dentist in many waysand who helps keep office records.

Among the equipment and instru-ments used by a dentist are:

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* the dental chair, which can beraised and tilted so that thedentist can work easily and thepatient can rest comfortably;

* the dental light, which can befocused to show all parts of themouth;

* the X-ray machine, which takes,CM pictures of the teeth and bones;

* the dental mirror, which is usedto see the teeth in the back ofthe mouth;rs-Z9

1Poe"


* and the explorer, which helps thedentist find decay.

Many of your students will bevisiting the dentist at some timeduring the school year. A visitto the dental office can be apleasant experience. Discuss theappointment with the children.Talk about it in a positive wayand in a matter-of-fact manner.Children usually accept the newadventure if they know what toexpect and understand the reasonfor it.

To prepare for this lesson, makeflannel board or velcro boardpictures using Activity Pages,"Community Helper Flannel Pic-tures." You may color each pic-ture and put pieces of velcro orfelt on the back of it so it willadhere to your velcro or feltboard. To make a sturdier pic-ture, you may want to glue thepicture to heavier board such astagboard or poster board.

To begin the lesson, explain tochildren that there are manypeople who help us with manythings. Display the picture ofthe bus and bus driver. Tell

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children that the bus driverhelps by taking children toschool. Next, display the pic-ture of a letter carrier. Askchildren to describe how the let-ter carrier helps us. (He or shebrings letters and packages.)Display the picture of the truckdriver and ask children to de-scribe ways truck drivers arehelpful.

Ask the children to name otherpeople who are "helpers."

After the children have had achance to name several otherhelpers, ask them if anyone knowswho it is that helps them takecare of their teeth. After theyhave identified the dentist orgoing to the dentist's office,tell them that you have a storyto share with them about whathappens when visiting the den-tist. At this time read thestory "A Visit to the Dentist"that goes along with the storypictures found on Activity Pages,"A Visit to the Dentist."

Before reading the story to yourclass, make copies of each ac-tivity page to hand out to eachstudent. Staple the pages to-gether in the correct order.Have students follow along bylooking at their copy of the ap-propriate picture as you read thestory. AZter you have finishedthe story, go back and ask ques-tions about the pictures. Forexample:

Page 1. "Can you point to thebus?"

Page 2. "How many children are onthe bus?"

Page 3. "Where are the books andmagazines?"

"Can you point to thedental hygienist?"

Page 5. "Where is the dentist?""What is the dentist'sname?"

Other questions you may want toask after you read the story are:

"What part of the story didyou like best?"

"What do you think you wouldlike to do most when you go tosee your dentist?"

"Which piece of equipment didyou like most?"

"Have you ever seen any of theequipment that is shown inthis picture?"

You may want to give the childrenan opportunity to color thesepages and/or to create a coverfor their book.

Note: If resources are notavailable to make enough copiesfor each student, you may want tocolor each page and display itwhile you are reading the storyto the class as a group.

Head Start Program Story - "A Visit to the Dentist"

Characters:

Page #1

MiguelLuyenDawnAltheaBobbyMrs. JacksonDr. LeeMiss Phillips

All the children were excited.Today they were going to meet anew friend. At exactly nine

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o'clock, a big yellow bus parkedoutside the classroom.

Bobby was the first to climb in."Oh, boy," said Bobby, "this bus isas big as the one my dad drives!"

Sure enough, the bus could fit allthe children in the class. And iteven had room for more.

Page #2 "Will the dentist's office be thisbig?" asked Althea.

Page #3

Page 4

"Almost as big," answered Mrs.Jackson. "But it's filled withmany interesting things, things youcan't find on a bus."

The children's eyes sparkled. Theycould hardly wait to see all thenew things the dentist would showthem.

Soon they were at the dentist'soffice. Mrs. Jackson opened thedoor, and the children followed herinside. They entered a smallroom. It was quiet and filled withall sorts of things. There wereplants and pictures, big stuffedchairs, and even some books andmagazines.

"Look here," squealed Dawn. Shepointed at a nearby table. "Thereare plenty of storybooks I can lookat!"

Miguel, also delighted, found achildren's magazine. He picked itup eagerly and showed it to every-one. "My favorite magazine!"Miguel exclaimed.

At that moment, a friendly lookingwoman stepped into the room."There's Miss Phillips," said Mrs.Jackson. "She's the dental hy-gienist. She helps the dentistkeep your teeth clean and healthy.'

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Page #5

Page #6

"Hello, everyone," Miss Phillipssaid with a smile. "I'm veryhappy to meet you."

"Is this where the dentistworks?" asked Bobby.

"Well, he doesn't work right inthis room," she answered. "Thisis called the waiting room. Youcan wait here until it's yourturn to see the dentist."

The children were so busy listen-ing to Miss Phillips that theydidn't see Dr. Lee come into theroom. "Hi, boys and girls," hesaid with a grin.

"Oh," they murmured in surprise.

"You must be Dr. Lee," shoutedAlthea. "You're dressed justlike the dentist in my picturebooks!"

Dr. Lee was pleased that thechildren recognized him. "Let meshow you some other things youmay have seen in pictures," he

said.

In the next room were manythings. Some were small andshiny. Others were very big andwere stuck to the floor or wall.Some even made noises or could bemoved.

There was a sink for the dentistto wash his hands. A mirror hungon the wall over the sink. Andthere were lots of drawers tohold Dr. Lee's tools.

Page #7 "What's that chair doing in themiddle of the room?" asked Dawn.

Miss Phillips replied, "You lieback in the chair while the den-tist looks inside your mouth. It

10 24

can tilt backward. It also goesup and down."

"Can I try it?" Luyen asked exci-tedly.

"Sure you can," said MissPhillips. "You can each try it,one at a time, when Dr. Lee looksat your teeth."

Page #8 "Why is that big light hangingover the chair?" asked Althea.

F a 9. e_ 1_0

"It shines into your mouth so Ican see all your teeth," answeredDr. Lee. Then he picked up agleaming mirror to show the chil-dren. "I can also use this tinyround mirror to see the backs ofyour teeth." It sure was tiny,but it had a long, shiny handle.

Next to the chair was a silvertray. It had all sorts of toolson it. There was an explorer, apointy silver stick to help thedentist check each tooth. Therewas a jar of a special gel withfluoride in it. Fluoride helpsmake teeth strong. And there wasa special minty toothpaste in asmall bowl.

Page #10 "Whrrr, whrrr, whrrr..."

Page #11

"What's that sound?" askedMiguel, startled.

"Oh, it's just my special tooth-brush," Dr. Lee replied. "It hasa little rubber cleaner thatspins round and round to cleanand polish your teeth. Do youhear any other sounds in theoffice?"

The children listened ve:y care-fully. They heard something thatMiss Phillips was holding make aslurping, sucking sound.

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Page *12

Page 111

Page #14,

'That sounds like someone drink-ing out of a straw," said Bobby.

"You're right, Bobby," MissPhillips answered. "But this iscalled a suction. It sucks upsome of the wetness in your mouthso the dentist can get a goodlook at your teeth."

Luyen pointed to a long machineon the wall. "That machine mustmake lots of noise. It's awfullybig!"

"It is big," said Miss Phillips,"but it makes only a soft, shortbuzz. It's called an X-raymachine. It takes pictures ofthe inside of your teeth so wecan be sure they're strong andhealthy."

"Why are water and hoses overthere?" ask:d Dawn, pointing."Are they for watering the plantsin the other room?"

"No, no," chuckled Dr. Lee. "Thehose lets me squirt water on yourteeth, to clean them. It alsosprays air to dry your teeth."And saying this, Dr. Lee sprayeda little bit of air on Dawn'shand. It was warm and gentle,like air let out of a balloon.

Soon all the children wanted Dr.Lee to squirt their mouths withwater and clean their tees withhis special toothbrush. Theywere happy to have this nice,caring man as their friend.

Dr. Lee took some toothbrushesout of a drawer. There was a redbrush, a blue one, and a greenbrush. There watt', a white brushand a yellow one. So many colorsto see! And Dr. Lee gave onetoothbrush to each child. Do yeknow what color Miguel, Luyen,

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Page #15

ClassroomActivities:

Dawn, Bobby, and Althea chose?

The children thanked Dr. Lee.They thanked Miss Phillips, too,for showing them so many newthings. Now the children couldhardly wait to go home to try outtheir colorful new toothbrushes.They had lots to tell theirfamily about what they had seen.

1. Classroom Visitor - Make arrange-ments for a dentist or a dentalhygienist to visit your class.Ask them to bring examples ofthings that are used in the len-tist's office or, if possible,pictures or charts. Have themexplain what happens during avisit to the dentist.

2. Field Trip - Arrange to take theclass to visit a dentist's officeor dental clinic in your communi-ty. This will help reinforce theconcept of community helpers.

3. Language Arts Activity - Have thechildren assist you in composinga thank you note to the dentistwhose office you visited or tothe professional who visited yourclass.

4. Art Activity - Ask the childrento draw a picture of somethingthat they enjoyed during the tripto the dentist's office. Theirpictures may be included with theletter to be sent to the dentistor dental professional.

5. Role playing - Set up a dentist'soffice. This role playing areashould have a white shirt, achair, a flashlight, a napkinthat can be hung around a child'sneck, a non-breakable mirror and,if available, a large model ofteeth and a toothbrush. (Be sure

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Lesson Review,Puppet Story:

to instruct children that theyshould not put their hands in oneanothers' mouths. They may prac-tice brushing the model of teeth,or they may show one another howto brush, using the model.)

6. Counting - Children should beencouraged to count the teeth ofthe model. (You may be able toobtain an old study cast of teethfrom a dentist in your area ifyou do not have a model of teeth.)

Hello, boys and girls! Well, I'mback again, just as I promised.Today we're talking about some ofthe people who help us with manythings. Can you tell me how thebus driver helps us? Another"helper" is the letter carrier.How does the letter carrier helpus? And let's not forget thetruck driver. Can you name someof the good things truck driversbring us? Can anyone think ofother people who are helpers?Very good!

Did you know that there also arepeople who help /]s take care ofour teeth? They are dentalhelpers. These are the peoplewho help keep our teeth clean andstrong. Can you name the dentalhelpers? Good. They can alsofix our teeth good as new whenthey need fixing.

Do you remember all the neatlooking things in the dentaloffice? Things like a chair foryou to sit in that goes up anddown? Or the little thing thedental helper uses to shine upyour teeth that goes whrrrwhrrr? What things do you likebest in the dental office?That's terrific! All these neatthings are used by those nice

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dental helpers to keep our teethclean and strong and lookinggreat. Well, I think you reallylearned a lot about the manykinds of helpers and all thethings they can do to help us. Ihave to go now, but I'll be backsoon and we'll talk some moreabout our teeth. Bye, boys andgirls.

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Parent Letter: "Visiting the Dentist"

Dear Head Start Parent:

Now that your child is Head Start age, he or she will beseeing a dentist. Dental examinations are an importantpart of the Head Start Program. To help prepare yourchild for this dental visit, your child is learning thatthe dentist and other members of the dental team arefriendly people who take care of our teeth and keep themhealthy.

During your child's first dental visit, the dentist willexamine your child's teeth for tooth decay or other prob-lems. The dentist may also show you how to care for yourchild's teeth. A trip to the dentist can be a pleasantadventure, and you can help make it so with a positiveattitude. Attached is a page that will help you handleyour child's first visit to the dentist and help you an-swer questions your child may have.

A dental examination should take place as soon as pos-sible. Regular dental visits are important and can helpsave your child's teeth by preventing dental problems.Your dentist will tell you how often your child needs adental visit. With your help, dental visits will alwaysbe a pleasant experience for your child.

Sincerely,

16

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YOUR CHILD'S FIRST VISIT TO THE DENTIST

(Suggestions for answering children's questions)

A visit to the dental office can be a pleasant exper-ience. If your child wants to discuss the appointment,talk about it in a positive and matter-of-fact manner.Children usually accept a new adventure if they know whatto expect and understand the reason for it. The followingare some questions children commonly ask. The answersprovided will help prepare you for these questions:

Question:

"Why do I have to go to the dentist?"

Answer:

"The dentist helps you take care of your teeth. He/shewill show you how to brush your teeth, and he/she knowshow to find the teeth that need his/her help."

Question:

"What is the dentist going to do?"

Answer:

"The dentist will look in your mouth, count how many teethyou have, and see if any of your teeth need specialcare. The dentist may clean your teeth with a littlesoft sponge that goes round and round. He may put aspecial gel on your teeth to make them stronger. Thedentist may also put a special plastic on the top of yourback teeth to help keep out the germs."

Question:

"Is it going to hurt?"

Answer:

"No, visiting the dentist usually doesn't hurt. The den-tist does everything possible to make your teeth feelgood. If you feel pain or it hurts, tell the dentist andhe or she will try to make it feel better."

SOME DO'S

1. Be honest with your child about what will happen.Trust is an important feeling between any two people

17a .k.n 1

and especially between children, their parents, andtheir teachers. By answering your child's questionstruthfully, you will establish a feeling of trust. Ifyou don't know the answer to your child's question,tell your child that you do not know the answer butthat the dentist will be happy to answer any questionduring the first dental visit.

2. Use a visit to the dentist as an adventure not as athreat.

3. Encourage friends and family to be positive about den-tal visits in front of your child and not to discussunpleasant dental experiences.

32 18

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A Visit to the Dentist


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Cover

45

LESSON: AWARENESS OF THE MOUTH

Purpose:

Materials Needed:

To create an awareness of thevarious structures found in themouth.

Small unbreakable hand mirrors(one per student, if possible)

Photographs of students (optional)Polaroid camera (optional)Activity Page, "Face with MissingPart"

Parent Letter, "Awareness of theMouth"

Background Children should be made aware ofInformation for the mouth as an important part ofthe Teacher: the body. This understanding

will help them become interestedin giving the mouth the dailycare it needs for good health.


Each of the parts in the mouth- -the teeth, gums, lips, tongue,cheeks--has its own special pur-pose. Healthy mouths look andfeel different from mouths thatare not in good health. Healthyteeth are a shade of white,shiny, and strong. Healthy gumsare pink or brownish, dependingupon race. Healthy tongues arepink or red.

Begin this lesson by instructingchildren to wash their hands withsoap and water. If available,distribute nonbreakable mirrorsto each child.

A. Ask the children the followingquestions:

"Where are your eyes?" (Havechildren point to their eyes.)

19 46

"Where are your ears?" (Havechildren point to their ears.)

"Where is your nose?" (Havechildren point to their nose.)

"Where is your mouth?" (Havechildren point to their mouth.)

"Where is your tongue?" (Havechildren point to their tongue.)

"What do your eyes do?"

"What do you like to see when yougo outside?"

"What do your ears do?"

"What do you like to hear whenyou are at school?"

"What does your nose do?"

"What do you like to smell whenyou are at home?"

"What does your mouth do?" (Try

to elicit from children "eat,""talk," "chew," and "smile. ")

"What foods do you like to eat?"

"What do you like to talk about?"

"What makes you smile?"

B. Emphasize to the children thatthe mouth helps us do manythings. Instruct the children tolook inside their mouth. If pos-sible, distribute mirrors for thechildren to use. If mirrors arenot available, have the childrenlook in each others' mouth.

Ask the children what they seeinside their mouth (encourageresponses such as "white teeth,""pink or brown gums," "pink orred tongue").

47 20


C. Have the children feel theirteeth and lips with their fin-ger. Ask the children questionssuch as:

"What do you see in the mirrorwhen you smile?"

"What do your lips feel like?"

"What do your teeth feel like?"

"Are your teeth wet or are theydry?"

"Are parts of your teeth smooth?"

"Are parts of your teeth rough orbumpy?"

"Are your teeth hard or are theysoft?"

"Are there any spaces betweenyour teeth?"

D. Ask tne children the following:

"Where is the top of yourmouth?" "Can you point to it?"

"Point to the bottom of yourmouth." "What's at the bottom ofyour mouth?" (tongue)

"Point to the sides of yourmouth." "What's at the side ofyour mouth?" (cheeks)

1. Art Activity - DistributeActivity Page, "Face with MissingPart" to each student. Discusswhat is shown in the picture.Ask the students what is miss-ing. Instruct the students tocomplete the picture by addingtheir smile and any other physi-cal characteristics they wish tocreate.

21 48

If available, have children gluebeans, macaroni or yarn to com-plete the picture.

You may also have children turn thesheet over and draw a picture ofthemselves or something that makesthem smile.

2. Language Arts Activity - Giveindividual children an opportu-nity to show their completed pic-ture to the class and explain whythe face is smiling. Do not in-sist that every child participate,only those who wish to do so.

3. Music Activity - Teach children thefollowing song: "Smiles We See,"sung to the tune of "Row, Row, RowYour Boat."

Smiles, smiles, smiles we see

Smiles for you and me

My teeth are clean

My teeth are white

My face is very bright.

4. Art Activity for Bulletin Board -Take pictures of every child in theclass or have children bring in aphotograph showing themselvessmiling. Display the photographson the bulletin board. Ifphotographs are not available, youmay display each child's completedActivity Page, "Face with MissingPart."

Encourage children to suggest atitle for the bulletin board.Based on their responses, select atitle, cut out letters, and post onthe bulletin board. The completedbulletin board may be used topractice letter recognition byhaving children identify individualletters in the title.

49 22


Hi, boys and girls. It's niceto see you again. Wasn't it funlearning all about your face? Let'ssee if you remember all the differentparts. Can you all point to youreyes? Terrific! And who would liketo tell me what your eyes do? Verygood! Now show me your ears. That'sright! Who wants to tell me what yourears do? Excellent! Now what's thatthing in the middle of your face thatsometimes goes sniff, sniff? Right,it's your nose. Can all of you put afinger on your nose? That's great!And who can tell me what your nosedoes? Terrific!

There's another part of your face wehaven't talked about. You use it totalk and to do many other things. Whocan tell me what it is called? That'sright! Can you point to your mouth?Very good! What are some of thethings you can do with your mouth?(talk# eat, chew, smile) Let's seeeveryone's big smile! Now let's holdup our mirrors and look at what'sinside the inouth. Would someone liketo tell me one of the things you seeinside your mouth? (teeth, tongue,lips, gums, cheeks) Good! Can some-one else name something that's in yourmouth? Very goods Now look at yourtongue. What color is it? Can youwiggle your tongue? Terrific! Useyour tongue to feel all the parts ofyour teeth. How do they feel? Wow!You've learned a lot about thedifferent parts of your face andwhat's inside your mouth. Next time,when I come back, we'll talk some moreabout some of the parts of the mouthand what they do for us. See yousoon! Bye!

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50

Parent Letter: "Awareness of the Mouth"


It is important for children to learn about and take care oftheir teeth and mouth. Today your child learned about the dif-ferent parts of the mouth such as the teeth, gums, cheeks, lips,and tongue. We believe our dental health lessons in Head Startwill help your child learn about the importance of the mouth andhelp him or her prevent dental disease.

You may want to have your child tell you about the differentparts of the mouth. You might also point to a part in yourmouth and ask your child to name that part.

I will send you more information on the dental health program asit continues. If at any time you have any questions, pleasefeel free to call me.

Sincerely,

24 51

Face With Missing Part

54 ()

LESSON: THE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF THEMOUTH

Purpose:

Materials needed:

To develop an understanding ofthe three important functions ofthe mouth.

Old magazinesConstruction paper (optional)Activity Page, "Functions of theMouth"

Parent Letter, "The ImportantFunctions of the Mouth"

Background Head Start recognizes that aInformation healthy mouth affects a child'sfor the Teacher: language development, social

development, self-esteem, andlearning.

Children need to understand thattaking care of their mouth isimportant because they need touse their mouth and teeth in manyways.

Eati2 With a healthy mouth andteeth, we can eat a wide varietyof foods that are good for us.Healthy, strong teeth help uschew our foods well, which aidsin digestion.

Speaking. The teeth and theother parts of our mouth are usedto make the proper sounds formany letters of the alphabet.They help us speak clearly.

Appearance. The mouth is usedwhen we smile or use other ex-pressions. The teeth help giveshape and form to our face. Witha healthy mouth, we look good toourselves and to others.

25

vv

Starting the Lesson: I. Begin this lesson by singing thesong "Smiles We See" with thechildren. (See Lesson,"Awareness of the Mouth.")

II. Show the children Activity Page,"Functions of the Mouth," or findmagazine pictures that show thevarious functions of the teeth,including someone eating, someonetalking, and someone smiling.

A. Referring to just the pictureshowing a person smiling, ask thechildren the following questions:

"What is this person doing withhis/her mouth?"

"Could you smile if you did nothave a mouth?"

"What would your smile look likewithout teeth?"

"How would you feel if youcouldn't smile?"

"How do you feel when you aresmiling?"

"What do your teeth do for yoursmile?"

B. Next refer to the picture thatshows someone talking. Ask thechildren the following questions:


"What do you see move when peopletalk?" (Elicit responses thatthe lips, teeth, and tongue movewhen people talk.)

"Try to talk without moving yourmouth." (Have students holdtheir lips together to see ifthey can talk.)

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"Could you talk without a mouth?"

"What would happen if you couldnot talk?"

"How would you feel if you couldnot talk?"

"How would this person feel ifhe/she could not talk?"

Instruct all children to say theword "Tooth" and to notice themovement of their classmates'lips, teeth, and tongue as theyare all saying the word "Tooth."(Note: It is typical for chil-dren at this age to pronounce the"th" sound as an "f.6) Havechildren practice saying variouswords, such as their own name, orwords that begin with "D" as indentist, "L" as in light, and "S"as in sun. If mirrors are avail-able, instruct students to watchtheir lips, teeth, and tonguemove as they say various words.

C. Show the third picture that il-lustrates a person eating. Askthe children the following ques-tions:


"What moves when you eat food?"

"What part of your mouth do youuse when you are eating foods?"

"Could you eat without a mo..th?"

"What would happen if youcouldn't eat?"

"How would you feel if youcouldn't eat?"

"How would the person in the pic-ture feel if he/she couldn't eat?"

27


"Could you chew food if youdidn't have any teeth?"

"What would happen if youcouldn't chew big bites of food?"

"How would you feel if youcouldn't chew big bites of food?"

1. Music Activity - Teach childrenthe following song, "Smile, Talk,Chew," sung to the tune of "HereWe Go Round the Mulberry Bush."After the children have learnedthe song, have them perform amovement or an expression foreach verse to imitate "smiling,""talking," and "chewing." Chil-dren may also be taught to claptheir hands as a rhythm activityduring this song.

"Smile, Talk, Chew"

Verse one:

This is the way we use our mouth

Use our mouth

Use our mouth


Smile, Smile, Smile

Verse two:


Use our mouth

Use our mouth


Talk, Talk, Talk

552

Verse three:


Use our mouth

Use our mouth


Chew, Chew, Chew

Verse four:

These are the ways we use ourmouth

Use our mouth

Use our mouth

These are the ways we use ourmouth

Smile, Talk, Chew

2. Game "Catch a Smile" - Instruc-tions: Have children sit in acircle. The child who is "IT"smiles a big smile (everyone elsemust be serious). "IT" looks ata certain child, wipes smile offdth his/her hand, and throwssmile to another child. Thechild receiving the tossed smilethen becomes "IT." The new "IT"repeats this activity. If anyonesmiles at "IT" or at the one re-ceiving the smile, he or she isout. The children who are outform a circle outside the oneswho are still in the game.

3. Art Activity for Bulletin Board -Give children old magazines.Have them find pictures of peoplewho are eating, talking, or smil-ing. Allow children to cut ortear the pictures out and gluethem to pieces of constructionpaper. Various colors and shapesof construction paper may be used

29. 57

to reinforce colors and shapes.Use these pictures for a bulletinboard.

Have children create a title orname for the bulletin board.

Children may also use magazinepictures of people eating, talk-ing, or smiling to make a collageon pieces of construction paper.

4. Chewing Activity - Have childrenwash their hands. Give each childa portion of a carrot and allowhim/her to eat it. (You may wishto conduct this activity aroundsnack or meal time using food youhave available. If you do notuse carrots, select a food thatrequires biting and chewing.)Have the students point to theteeth they used to bite thecarrot. Then have them point tothe teeth used to chew thecarrot. Reinforce the idea thatteeth are used to bite and chew.

Now ask the children the follow-ing questions:

"Who has seen a little baby?"

"What foods does a newborn babyeat?" (Encourage responses suchas milk, soft foods, strainedfoods or baby food.)

"Can a little baby eat a carrot?"

"Why can't a baby eat a carrot?"

"What do you have in your mouththat babies don't have in theirmouth?"

"Can you eat a carrot?"

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Hello, everybody! It's greatto see all of your smiling facesonce again. Today you learnedabout some of the importantthings you do with your mouth,like smiling. If you didn't havea mouth, you couldn't smile.Let's see all of you smile. Oh,that's real nice! Seeing yoursmiles makes me feel like smil-ing.

We do something else with ourmouth and teeth when we eat. Cananyone tell me what it is? (biteand chew food) That's right!With a healthy mouth and strongteeth we can bite and chew allkinds of good foods. If wedidn't have teeth, we couldn'tchew our food and we would haveto eat only soft food, like babyfood, all the time. What foodcould you not eat if you didn'thave teeth?

There's something else we all dowith our mouth. I'm doing itright now. Can anyone guess whatit is? That's right! We use ourmouth and teeth to speakclearly. If you didn't have amouth, it would be hard to saythe ABC's. I wouldn't be able tounderstand you when you talk tome. Try to say "Hi, Smiley"without moving your mouth. Oh,my. I couldn't even understandyou. Now move your mouth and say"Hi, Smiley" very clearly. Oh,much better! Well, now we mustremember to keep our mouth andteeth healthy so we can smilenicely, chew our food, and speakclearly. See you next time Bye!

3159

Parent Letter: "Functions of the Mouth"


Today your child learned about the many ways people use theirmouth. The mouth is used to chew, to speak, and to smile. Yourchild's baby teeth are very important. They save space for thepermanent teeth to grow in straight and healthy. They also helpyour child learn to speak clearly.

To help your child remember the important uses of the mouth, youand your child might go through old newspapers or magazines andcut out pictures of people who are using their mouth. Have yourchild describe the ways the mouth is being used in the picturesyou find.

Head Start is concerned with helping your child have a goodself-image, and we know you want that also. A good self-imagehelps children to succeed. Happy smiles with healthy teeth areimportant in creating that good self-image.

Sincerely,

32 60

Functiuns of the Mouth

61

LESSON: THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING TEETHAND GUMS CLEAN

Purpose: To create an awareness that teethand gums need to be cleanedthoroughly each day.

Materials Needed: Activity Page, "What We Use toKeep Clean"

Activity Page, "Finger Puppets"Parent Letter, "The Importance ofKeeping Teeth and Gums Clean"

Attachment to Parent Letter,"Nursing Bottle Mouth"

Background The teeth should be cleaned everyInformation day to remove plaque. Plaque is afor the Teacher: soft, sticky, colorless film of

bacteria and byproducts thatforms on the teeth. The bacteriaare most harmful when they haveorganized into colonies, whichtakes about 24 hours.

The bacteria in plaque are amajor cause of tooth decay andgum disease. When foods contain-ing sugars and starches areeaten, the bacteria produce acidsand other irritants. The acidsattack the tooth enamel for about20 minutes. After many acid at-tacks, tooth decay may occur.The other irritants affect thegums, causing them to becomeswollen and bleed easily. Over along period of time, untreatedgum disease can destroy the bonethat supports the teeth.Healthy teeth can become looseand fall out or may need to beremoved.

33 62

Starting the Lesson: Begin the lesson by reviewingwith the children the reasons whyteeth are important and what ourteeth help us to do (smile, talk,chew). Give children an opportu-nity to sing one of the songsthat they have learned aboutteeth.

A. Ask the children the followingquestions:

"When do you wash your hands?"

"Why do you wash your hands?"(Elicit from children responsessuch as "to clean off dirt" and"to remove germs.")

"Can you see dirt on yourhands?" (Yes)

"Can you see germs on yourhands?" (No)

"How do you clean your hands toget the dirt and germs off?"(Wash with soap and water.)

"Show me how you clean yourhands." (Have children showmotion of rubbing hands.)

"What would happen if you didn'twash your hands?" (Encourageresponses such as you might getdirt in your food; you might getsick; a scratch or cut might notget better.)

Explain to children that we washour hands to clean off the dirtand remove the germs even thoughwe don't see the germs.

Another place where there aregerms that we cannot see is inour mouth. These germs need tobe cleaned off too.

34

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B. Ask children the followingquestions.

"How do you clean your mouth toget rid of the germs?" (Brush myteeth.)

"What do you use when you cleanyour teeth?" (Toothbrush andtoothpaste.)

"What would happen if you didn'tclean your teeth?" (Explain thatjust as we can get sores on ourhands or get sick when we don'tkeep our hands clean, our teethget sick and hurt if we don'tkeep them clean.)

1. Matching Activity - Cut out anddistribute the six boxes shown onActivity Page, "What We Use toKeep Clean" to each student.Have children match the item tobe cleaned with the item used forcleaning. They may place thematched items side by side andglue the sets on constructionpaper.

2. Flash cards can also be con-structed using the pictures onActivity Page, "What We Use toKeep Clean" by gluing the pairsback to back. When showing oneside, you may give children theopportunity to tell what appearson the other side.

3. Game "Keeping Clean Charades" -Ask one student to act out one ofthe following activities:

Washing hairWashing handsWashing faceBrushing teethWashing feetTaking a bath

35

Washing armsWashing legsWashing earsWashing neckTaking a showerWashing tummy

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Give other students a chance toguess the charade. The studentwho guesses what is being por-trayed may be the next child torole play cleaning another partof the body. Continue this acti-vity until all students who wantto participate have had a chance.

4. "Simon Says" - Using the samephrases as were used for thecharade game, play a game of"Simon Says," having childrenmake appropriate motions ac-cording to what "Simon Says."

5. Finger Puppet Story

Using Activity Page, "Finger Pup-pets," cut out and distributefinger puppets of "tooth" fingerpuppet and one "toothbrush andtoothpaste" finger puppet foreach child. To start the activi-ty, the teacher should give ex-amples of what his or her puppetswould say to each other. Forinstance: Tooth Puppet, "I feeldirty, will you clean me?"Toothbrush and Toothpaste Puppet,"Yes, I'm good at keeping teethclean." Give each child who vol-unteers an opportunity to createa puppet story by responding tothe following:

"If the tooth could talk to thetoothpaste and toothbrush, whatwould it say?"

"If the toothbrush and tooth-paste could talk to the tooth,what would they say?"

Hi, boys and girls: I'm so happyto see all of you again. Todayyou learned about washing yourhands and face. Who would liketo tell me why we wash our handsand face? (To clean off dirt and

36

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to remove germs) Very good! Doyou know that we can see dirt onour hands and face, but we can'tsee germs? Can someone tell mewhat could happen if we didn'twash our hands and face? (Dirtcould get into our food; germscould make us sick.) That'sright! Of course, we also washall the other parts of our bodytoo, such as our ears and neck.These are places where dirt andgerms can hide.

Our teeth also need to be cleanedto remove food and the germs thatare hiding there. Clean teethare healthy and shiny. Who wouldlike to tell me what we use toclean our teeth? (Toothbrush andtoothpaste) Very good! We needto brush our teeth very carefullyevery day. I'm glad you know whywe need to keep clean and brushour teeth every day. The nexttime we meet we're going to talka lot more about brushing. Yourteacher will even show you how tobrush with your very own tooth-brush. See you soon!

37 66

Parent Letter: "The Importance of Keeping Teethand Gums Clean"


Today your child learned why it is important to clean teeth and-gums daily - -to remove plaque. Plaque is a sticky, colorlessfilm of bacteria (germs) that constantly forms on the teeth.The bacteria make acids and other waste products that causetooth decay, and gum disease.

Because plaque forms every day, it must be cleaned off everyday. If this is not done, it builds up and becomes more harm-ful. As you know, your child's baby teeth are very importantand should be cleaned every day to keep them healthy.We will be making sure your child is brushing every day at theHead Start Center and will be encouraging him or her to brush athome as well.

You can help your child by making sure that toothbrushing ispart of the daily routine. Also, your own example of dailybrushing and flossing would be another way to teach your childabout the importance of cleaning teeth. If you have babies oryoung children who feed from a baby bottle, please be sure toread the page about Nursing Bottle Mouth that was sent with thisletter.

Sincerely,

38 67

NURSING BOTTLE MOUTH

Sometimes babies or young children who drink from a baby bottledevelop a condition called "Nursing Bottle Mouth." Nursingbottle mouth is a dental condition that can destroy the teeth ofan infant or young child. The teeth most likely to be damagedare the upper front teeth, the ones that can make such a dif-ference in your child's smile. But other teeth may also be af-fected by this condition.

Nursing bottle mouth is caused when liquids such as Must, formu-las, juices, or sweet drinks pool around a child's teeth forlong periods of time. This can lead to decay. That's whygiving your child a bottle containing these liquids many times aday, as a pacifier, isn't a good idea. You also should not al-low your child to fall asleep with a bottle during naps or atnight, or else your child's teeth can be seriously harmed.

You can prevent this from happening to your child's teeth byprotecting them in the following ways:

* After each bottle feeding, wipe the child's teeth andguff. with a damp washcloth or gauze pad, to removeplaque.

* Never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottlecontaining milk, formula, fruit juices, or sweetenedliquids.

* If your child needs a comforter between regular feed-ings, at night, or during naps, fill a nursing bottlewith cool water or give the child a clean pacifierrecommended by your dentist. (Never give your child apacifier dipped in any sweet liquid.)

* Avoid filling your child's nursing bottle with liquidssuch as sugar water, sweetened gelatin, and soft drip%J.

39 63

What We Use to Keep Clean

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LESSON: TOOTHBRUSHING

Purpose: To develop toothbrushing skills.

Materials Needed: Toothbrush for each childFluoride toothpaste with ADA Seal ofAcceptance

Small paper plates or construction paperPaints or crayonsGlueYarn (optional)Wooden sticksActivity Pages, "How to Brush"Rolled pieces of masking tape, smallpieces of velcro, or small pieces offelt

Large mirror (optional)Activity Page, "Toothbrush Pattern"Parent letter, "Toothbrushing"Attachment to Parent letter,"Toothbrushing Chart"

Background Brushing: The prevention of dentalInformation disease depends on the complete removalfor the Teacher: of plaque from all surfaces of the

teeth. Cleaning each tooth carefullyis very important. The teeth should bebrushed daily to remove plaque from theoutside, inside, and biting surfaces.A number of ways of toothbrushing zreacceptable. Here is a method that isoften suggested:

Place the head of the toothbrush besidethe teeth, with the bristle tips at a450 angle against the gumline. Movethe .crush back and forth sideways inshort (half-a-tooth-wide) strokesseveral times, using a gentle scrubbingmotion. Scrub the outside, inside, andchewing surfaces of all the teeth. Toclean the inside surface of the frontteeth, tilt the brush and make severalup-and-down strokes with the front partof the brush. Brush gums and teeth.

40 71


Most dentists recommend using a tooth-brush with soft, end-rounded or pol-ished bristles. This type of brush isless likely to injure the gums. Thesize and shape of the toothbrush shouldallow every tooth to he cleaned. Chil-dren need brushes smaller than thosemade for adults. Brushes should bereplaced often (usually every three orfour months), as worn-out brushes donot clean the teeth well.

The following steps have been designedto help children become aware of allthe surfaces of their teeth that mustbe cleaned each time they brush. Sincesome children will not understand someterms, such as inside, outside, top,bottom, etc., it is important for youto demonstrate and have the childrenimitate each of the following steps.You may want to conduct this activityas a "Follow the Leader" game withyourself as leader and the childrenfollowing your directions for each step.

Begin lesson by having the childrenwash their hands. Say to children, "Itis important for your hands to be cleanbecause we are going to be putting themin our mouth to feel all the parts ofour teeth."

A. "First we're going to touch the outsideof all of the top teeth." Have chil-dren imitate you as you place a fingeron the farthest back tooth on one sideof your mouth and slowly move your fin-ger across to the other side of yourmouth, touching the outside surface ofeach tooth as you move your fingeracross.

(ThB. "Now we are going to touch the inside

of all the top teeth." Have childrenimitate you as you touch the inside ofthe top back tooth on one side of your

I)

mouth and slowly move your fingeracross the inside surfaces of all thetop teeth, gently rubbing each tooth

72

41

from one end of the mouth to the otherend.

C. "Now we are going to touch the bitingand chewing surfaces of all our topteeth." Have children imitate you asyou touch the biting and chewingsurfaces of all your top teeth.

D. "Now let's feel the outside of all ourbottom teeth." Have children imitateyou as you place a finger on thefarthest back tooth on one side of yourmouth and slowly move your finger tothe other side of your mouth, touchingthe outside surface of each tooth asyou move your finger across.

E. "Now we are going to touch the inside\\r

of all the bottom teeth." Have chil-dren imitate you as you touch the in-side surface of the bottom back toothon one side of your mouth and slowlymove your finger across the inside sur-faces of all the bottom teeth, gentlyrubbing each tooth from one end of themouth to the other end.


F. "Now we are going to touch the bitingand chewing surfaces of all our bottomteeth." Have children imitate you asyou touch the biting and chewing sur-faces of all your bottom teeth.

Conclude this awareness activity bytelling children that when they brushtheir teeth they should be sure totouch every side of every tooth withtheir toothbrush, just like they havetouched every tooth with their finger.

Note: If sink and water facilitiesare available, you may use the fol-lowing procedure. Distrit'ite tooth-brushes to each student. Have studentsform a line; put a dab, the size of asmall pea, of fluoride toothpaste oneach child's brush. Have children goto the place where they will be brush-ing. Instruct them to brush with

42 73

toothpaste, using the same methodsthat they have practiced. Afterthey have brushed, encourage them tothoroughly rinse their mouth withwater and rinse their toothbrush sothat there is no toothpaste left onthe toothbrush.

Color Activity Pages, "How toBrush." If possible, mount thespictures on heavy paper or cardboard. You may want to cover tpictures with a clear plasticterial to protect them. Dispthese pictures in the area whchildren will be brushing toremind them of the proper tbrushing method.

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If toothpaste and/or water is notavailable, have _he children brushusing a dry toothbrush by itself.This is also an effective way toclean teeth. When children "drybrush," they can do so in smallgroups at their tables, or in smallor large circles. If at all pos-sible, toothbrushes should be thor-oughly rinsed and dried after eachuse.

1. Toothbrushing Act"dents wash theirtoothbrushes toplain that theythe toothbrushand that the tall the teethwith their finot to be usbrushing ex

For the prnique tonecessaryon the fstructi

74 43

vity - Have stu-hands. Distribute

each student. Ex-now are going to useto clean their teeth

oothbrush should touchthat they have touched

nger. (Toothpaste ised for this practicercise.)

oper toothbrushing tech-e understood, it may beto spend one or two days

ollowing toothbrushing in-ns:

Toothbrushing Instructions for Head Start Classroom

(1) Introduction - Have students wigglethe brush bristles on one of theirfingers. Explain that this is thesame movement the brush will make ontheir teeth.

I I

(2) Starting at the very farthest backtooth on the outside surface of thetop teeth, gently wiggle the brushagainst each and every tooth, movingfrom the back to the center fronttop tooth.

(3) Move brush to top back tooth on theother side of the mouth and gentlyscrub by wiggling the brush againsteach and every tooth, moving fromthe back to the center front toptooth.

(4) Now start at the very farthes'. backtooth on the inside surface of thetop teeth. Gently scrub by wigglingthe brush against each and everytooth, moving from the inside of theback tooth to the center front toptooth.

(5) Move brush to the inside surface ofthe farthest back tooth on the otherside of the mouth and brush everytooth from the back to the centerfront tooth.

(6) Place toe (top part) of brushagainst back part of top frontteeth, and very gently brush up anddown.

(7) After brushing the inside and out-side surfaces of the top teeth, in-struct children to brush the bitingand chewing surfaces of their topteeth, starting with the farthestback tooth on one side, and brushingto the center front tooth. Thenbrush the chewing and biting sur-faces of the top teeth on the otherside of the mouth.

44 75

(8) Repeat the preceding 6 steps for thebottom teeth.

(9) Explain to children that they shouldfollow this brushing method everytime they brush.

Tips for Toothbrushing: The following are general guidelinesthat can be helpful while you superviseyour children as they brush their teeth:

A. Note whether the child is following thetoothbrushing sequence.

B. As the children are brushing each day,be sure to emphasize all the areas ofthe mouth that should be cleaned. Saysuch things as "Be sure to clean allthe outside surfaces of the teeth, allthe inside surfaces of the teeth, andthe chewing surfaces of the teeth, both'top' and 'bottom.'" Try to use thefollowing phrases to the children toreinforce their brushing habits and todevelop positive self-concepts:

"You're doing a good job." "Yourteeth look sparkling." "What a nicesmile you have." "You're a verygood brusher." "I like looking atyour clean smile." "You should beproud of what a good job you've donecleaning your teeth." Etc.

C. Make sure children are using short,back-and-forth, gentle scrubbingactions.

D. The mouth should be partially open.Encourage children to open their mouthsgently and not to "stretch" their jaws.

E. Discourage chewing on brushes orscrubbing too hard, as these practiceswear out toothbrushes.

F. Watch for ineffective toothbrushes thatare bent or frayed, and replace them.Worn-out toothbrushes cannot clean theteeth and may hurt the child's gums.

45

G. When children are brushing their teeth,be sure to brush with them so that theywill have a good role model.

H. If possible, place a mirror near theplace where the children will be brush-ing. Be sure the mirror is placed atthe children's eye level so they canwatch themselves.

I. Have each child thoroughly rinse his/her toothbrush and mouth, if possible.

Toothbrush Storage in the Head Start Classroom:

It is very important that each tooth-brush be stored in such a way as tominimize the spread of germs. Evenwhen toothbrushes are thoroughlyrinsed, germs continue to live on a wetbrush. For this reason, it is impor-tant that toothbrushes be stored sothat they can air dry between brushingsand so that moisture from one tooth-brush does not drip onto anotherbrush. Following are ways that tooth-brushes can be stored safely in theHead Start classroom.

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* Oain a plastic cabinet with drawers,available in various sizes from hard-ware stores. Assign a drawer for eachstudent's toothbrush. Using indelibleink, make a label for each drawer. Itis important that air circulate betweeneach drawer so that brushes can drycompletely. Be sure drawers are notair tight. It is also important thatdrawers not contain holes, which wouldallow water from one toothbrush to dripon another.

* Have each child decorate a shoe boxusing a dental theme. The decoratedshoe box can be kept in the student'sdesk or locker where his/her labeledtocthbrush may be stored.

46 77

* It is not a good idea to store brushesin community jars, egg cartons, or byhanging them together from nails in thewall if these methods allow the brushesto drip on each other. Sealed contain-ers that are air tight are also un-desirable because they prevent air dry-ing.

2. Music Activity - After practicing thismethod of toothbrushing, teach childrenthe following song, "This is the Way WeBrush Our Teeth," sung to the tune of"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush."Have children motion as though they areholding a toothbrush, moving it fromone side of the mouth toward the cen-ter. When the verse is repeated, havethem also repeat the motion for theother side of the mouth. For the finalverse, have children motion as thoughthey are gently scrubbing the chewingsurfaces of their teeth.

This is the way we brush our teeth,

Brush our teeth, brush our teeth,


Move to the front.

(Repeat)




Clean the insides too.

(Repeat)

(Have children motion as though theyare gently scrubbing the chewing sur-faces.)



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78

This is the way we brush our teth,

Scrub where we chew.

(Repeat)

After the children have learned thissong, make a cassette recording of themsinging it. Play the song as the chil-dren are brushing their teeth to serveas a reminder of the brushing patternthat should be followed. If you areunable to make a recording of the song,you may want to sing the song as thechildren are brushing.

3. Art Activity - Reinforce the concept ofvarious colors by asking students toidentify the color of his/her tooth-brush. When new toothbrushes are dis-tributed, discuss the color. Give eachstudent an opportunity to name an ob-ject in the room that is the same coloras their toothbrush.

4. Music Activity - Teach children thefollowing song, "Are My Teeth Clean,"sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping,Brother John?" Have them sing thefirst verse before they are ready tobrush each day. The second verse maybe sung after they have cleaned theirteeth. The song may also be suag whilethe toothpaste is being dispensed.While singing verse one, children mayalso shake their head "no" when theyare saying "No, They're Not; No,They're Not." And, when they aresinging verse two, they may shake theirhead up and down for "yes" when theyare saying "Yes, They Are; Yes, TheyAre."

Verse one:

Are my teeth clean?

Are my teeth clean?

No, they're not!

No, they're not

4879

Let's go off and brush them,

Let's go off and brush them,

Right away,

Right away.

(Repeat)

Verse two:

Are my teeth clean?

Are my teeth clean?

Yes, they are

Yes, they are!

We are good at brushing,

We are good at brushing,

See our smile,

See our smile.

(Repeat)

5. Art Activity - Distribute small paperplates or circles made from construc-tion paper, giving one to each stu-dent. Provide materials so that stu-dents can make a happy face on a smallpaper plate or on a circle of construc-tion paper. Provide materials such aspaints or crayons, pieces of construc-tion paper, glue, and yarn so that hairand parts of the face can be made andplaced on the paper plates to make ahappy face. Whet: the puppet is com-pleted, attach the face to a tonguedepressor or some similar wooden stickso that each child will have a "HappyFace" stick puppet. The "Happy Face"stick puppet will be used in other les-son activities.

Have children hold up the "Happy Face"stick puppets while they sing the

49

so


second verse of "Are My Teeth Clean,"after having cleaned their teeth.

6. Numbers Activity - Use the patternfound on Activity Page, "Tooth Pattern"to make ten toothbrushes for USG on aflannel board. Have children count thetoothbrushes as you place them one byone until there are ten on the flannelboard. If children have not masteredcounting from one to ten, postpone thisactivity.

Hi, everybody! I know you have beenlearning a lot about toothbrushing.Have you all used your finger to toucheach tooth in your mouth? Wow, youhave lots of teeth! Can someone tellme what teeth feel like? (Wet, warm,hard) Very good! Did some teeth feelbig and bumpy? Did some teeth feelsmooth and sharp? Did you also feelyour gums? Who can tell me what yourgums feel like? (Wet, warm, soft)Terrific! Do you remember the lasttime we talked about cleaning our nice,shiny teeth? Every tooth needs specialcare to keep it clean and healthy. Wesaid that we need to clean our teethevery day so that germs don't hurt ourteeth.

We have to brush every side or everytooth. Can you point to your topteeth? I'm going to open my mouthwide. Who can point to my top teeth?Where are your bottom teeth? What doyou use to brush your teeth? Good!Can you tell me the color of yourtoothbrush? Toothbrushes help cleanyour teeth just like washcloths helpclean your hands and face. Don't for-get to rinse your mouth with lots ofwater when you have finished brushing.Next time we meet we'll talk aboutsomething very special for your teeth.See you then!

50 81

Parent Letter: "Toothbrushing"


As part of our lessons on dental health, your child has beentaught why the teeth need to be cleaned every day. Now thechildren are learning how to clean the teeth. We have givenyour child a toothbrush to use in the classroom. You will wantto make sure your child has a toothbrush to use at home, too.Here are some tips on brushing your child's teeth.

Children of Head Start age can begin to learn to brush their ownteeth. An adult must help, however, to see that they brushwell. Get your child a brush with a small child-size brush andsoft, polished bristles. A hard - bristled brush can hurt yourchild's teeth and gums. When using toothpaste, be sure it con-tains fluoride. Only a dab, the size of a pea, is necessary.If you do not have toothpaste, encourage your child to use thetoothbrush by itself. Replace the brush when the bristles lookbent, usually every three or four months. A worn-out toothbrushcannot clean teeth and may hurt your child's gums.

There are a number of good ways of brushing the teeth. Here'sthe brushing method your child has learned in Head Start:

* Hold the brush against the gumline.Point the bristles toward the gums.

* Move the brush back and forth withshort half-a-tooth-wide strokes, usinga gentle scrubbing motion.

51 82

* Brush the outside surfaces of theteeth, the inside surfaces, then thechewing surfaces.

* To clean the inside surfaces of thefront teeth, tilt the brush straightup. Make several up-and-downstrokes with the front part of thebrush.

In addition to brushing, be sure to use dental floss in order toremove plaque (an invisible layer of germs) from between theteeth. However, yc',ng children should not floss by themselves;have your dentist or dental hygienist show you how to floss yourteeth and your child's teeth. By flossing your teeth you willbe presenting a good example for your child to follow.

To encourage your child to brush his or her teeth, you can putup the chart we have provided showing the days of the week.Every day that the child brushes, draw or paste a brightlycolored star on the chart. It is a good idea to brush yourteeth along' with your children. If your child cannot brush hisor her own teeth, you may want to hold your child on your lapwhile helping brush his or her teeth.

When not in use, brushes should be left uncovered so that theair can dry them. When toothbrushes are put away, be sure thatthe brush heads are placed so that they do not touch or drip oneach other. To prevent spreading germs, each family membershould have his or her own brush. By helping your child developgood dental habits today, you help your child have good healthtomorrow.

Sincerely,

52 83

NameSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Brush Brush Brush Brush Brush Brush Brush

84 85

How to Brush

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Toothbrush Pattern

90

LESSON:

Purpose:

Materials Needed:

THE IMPORTANCE OF FLUORIDE ANDSEALANTS

The purpose of this lesson is tocreate an awareness amongteachers, students, and parentsof the importance of fluoride andsealants and the various ways ofobtaining these two protectiveagents.

CrayonsTwo sheets of construction paperfor each student

Activity Pages, "Ways to GetFluoride" (one set for eachstudent)

One tube of toothpaste that hasthe ADA Seal of Acceptance on it(optional)

Parent Letter, "The Importance of71uoride and Sealants"

Attachment to Parent. Letter,"Ways to Get Fluoride"

Background Fluoride is a mineral that helpsInformation teeth become stronger and morefor the Teacher: resistant to decay. It can bene-

fit both children and adults.

There are many ways Head Startchildren can get the fluoridethey need for good dentalhealth. These include:

.. drinking water that containsenough fluoride at home or atschool;

.. taking chewable fluoride tabletsprescribed by a dentist or physi-cian if fluoride is not availablein the drinking water;

.. using fluoride toothpastes athome;

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.. having fluoride solutions or gelsapplied to the teeth by a dentist.

When choosing a fluoride tooth-paste, choose a product that hasthe American Dental Association'sSeal of Acceptance on the cartonor tube. These products have beenproved effective in reducing theincidence of decay.

It is important for you to workclosely with the Head Start DentalHealth Consultant and Health Coor-dinator to be sure the children inyour classroom are provided afluoride program that best meetstheir needs. This will depend onthe level of fluoride available inyour school and community watersupply.

Sealants are clear or shaded plas-tic materials that are applied bya dentist to the chewing surfacesof the back teeth. These areashave deep grooves which are verydifficult to keep clean. Dentistsnow can apply a plastic materialover these grooves that helps pre-vent decay from occurring. Dentalsealants have proved most effec-tive in preventing decay in chil-dren's teeth.

Each tooth takes only a fewminutes to seal. First, the teeththat will be sealed are cleaned.A special material is then put onthe chewing surface to help thesealant become attached to thetooth. Finally, the sealant isbrushed on the tooth enamel andallowed to harden. Some sealantsneed a special light to help themharden; others do not. Sealantsare recommended for all children,even those who receive fluoridetreatments or who live in communi-ties with fluoridated water&

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92

Starting the Lesson: To begin this lesson, it isnecessary to have a discussion onways we make our bodies healthyand strong. Ask the followingdiscussion questions:

Can you name some things you eatthat make you stronger? (En-courage answers such as fruit,vegetables, meat, bread.)

Can you name some things youdrink that make you stronger?(Encourage answers such as milk,water, juice.)

Can you name some things you dothat make your muscles stronger?(Encourage answers sue.' as run-ning, climbing, playing.)

Now explain to the children thatthere is something that we canuse to make our teeth verystrong._ This is called fluoride(Flor' id). You cannot seefluoride, but it is in somewater, toothpaste, and tablets.Have the children practice saying"fluoride."

Use the copy below with the pic-tures on Activity Pages, "Ways toGet Fluoride." Make copies ofthe Activity Pages so that eachstudent has his or her own set ifpictures.

Have the children look at theappropriate page as you read thecopy for each page. If you areunabls to make a copy of the pic-tures for each student, you mayinstead color one set and displaythem when you read aloud the copyfor each page.

Page 1 - "Sometimes the dentistor hygienist will put somethingspecial on your teeth. It lookslike jello, comes in manyflavors, and contains fluoride.

55 93


Fluoride will help make yourteeth strong. What else do yousee in the picture?"

Page 2 - "Some tubes of tooth-paste have a special picture onthem. If you see this picture onyour toothpaste tube, you willknow your toothpaste has fluoridein it. Can you find the specialpicture on any of the toothpastetubes on the page? How manytoothpaste tubes have the specialpicture? Can you point to thetoothpaste tube that does nothave the special picture on it?Be sure to use toothpaste thathas the special picture on it."

Page 3 - "Brushing with fluoridetoothpaste every day will makeyour teeth stronger. Where doyou see the special picture onthis page?"

Page 4 - "Fluoride also comes inspecial tablets that we may getat home or school. These tabletscan also make our teeth stronger.You should take a tablet only ifit is given to you by yourteacher, your parent, or yourdentist."

(Optional: Use this last pictureonly if your class participatesin a fluoride tablet program.)

1. Coloring - Allow children tocolor Activity Pages, "Ways toGet Fluoride." Staple the pagestogether to form a booklet foreach child. You may want to giveeach child construction paper sothat he or she can make a coverfor the booklet.

2. Recognition - Hold up a tooth-paste tube and carton (if avail-able) that have the ADA Seal on

56

them. Point to the Seal on eachitem, and tell children that thisis the special picture that tellsus fluoride is in this tooth-paste. Allow each child to pointto the Seal of Acceptance whileyou hold the tube and/or carton.You may want to allow thechildren to pass around the tubeso that each has a chance to lookat it closely.

3. Field Trip - As part of a unit oncommunity helpers, take the chil-dren to the local pharmacy ordrug store. Introduce childrento the pharmacist. Explain thatthe pharmacist can help us finddental products that containfluoride as well as other itemsthat are good for our teeth.Allow children to look for tooth-paste cartons that have thefluoride seal.


Hi, boys and girls! I knowyou've been learning about some-thing that makes your teethstrong. It's called fluoride.Can you say "fluoride?" Verygood! We need to keep our teethstrong jL , like we need to keepthe rest of our bodies strong.Can you name some things to eatthat make you strong? (Meat,vegetables, fruits, breads,etc.) Excellent! Now, boys andgirls, do you remember where wecan get fluoride to make ourteeth strong? (The dentist'soffice, toothpaste, tablets)

That's right! You can havefluoride put OD your teeth whenyou visit the :;ental office. Andyou can get some fluoride whenyou brush your teeth with afluoride toothpaste. Do you knowwhere you can get fluoride tooth-paste? Why is there a special

57 95

picture on some toothpastetubes? Very good! The picturelets us know there is fluoride inthe toothpaste. I'm glad thatyou know so much about fluoride.Ne:rt time we meet we'll talk somemore about how we can keep our-selves strong and healthy. Seeyou again soon:

0n58

Parent Letter: "The Importance of Fluorideand Sealants"


The entire body needs vitamins and minerals for good health.The teeth and bones also need a special mineral calledfluoride. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. It is also ofspecial benefit to children, because their teeth are still form-ing in their mouth.

The best way of getting fluoride is by drinking fluoridatedwater. If the water in your area does not contain enoughfluoride, chewable fluoride tablets may be prescribed for yourchild by the dentist or physician. These tablets should betaken daily until the child is thirteen. Ask your child'sphysician or dentist if your community's water supply is fluori-dated and how your child can get the fluoride needed for gooddental health. Attached is an information sheet about fluorideand ways to get fluoride.

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THERAPEUTICS

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You can help your family get fluoride bychoosingand using-- home dental care productsthat contain fluoride. Fluoride toothpastes areavailable in the dental products section of moststores. Be sure to look for the ADA Seal ofAcceptance when selecting these items. ThisSeal tells you that these products have beenproved effective by the American DentalAssociation.

Another way to prevent decay is to have a dentist apply asealant on your child's back teeth. A sealant is a plasticmaterial that your dentist brushes on the chewing surfaces toprevent germs from getting in the deep grooves of the backteeth.

Fluoride and sealants, along with brushing, flossing, good nu-trition and regular dental visits, will help keep your child'steeth healthy.

Sincerely,

5987

WAYS OF GETTING FLUORIDE

FLUORIDE IN THE DRINKING WATER

Fluoride is a mineral that helps teeth become stronger andhelps prevent decay. One excellent way to get fluoride isto drink water that contains the right amount offluoride. If you are not sure whether your drinking watercontains the right amount of fluoride for good dentalhealth, ask your dentist or hygienist. Children who drinkwater with the right amount of fluoride have fewer cavi-ties.

Using fluoride is one of the safest, most effective, andleast expensive ways to prevent tooth decay. Its use issupported by the American Dental Association, the AmericanMedical Association, the American Public Health Associa-tion, and many other major health organizations.

OTHER WAYS OF GETTING FLUORIDE

In addition to getting fluoride through your drinkingwater, there are other ways you and your family can getprotection from fluoride. Your dentist or hygienist cantell you what is best for you and your family.

At the Dental Office

If you drink water that does not contain the right amountof fluoride, your dentist or physician may prescribefluoride tablets or drops for your children to take everyday. For maximum protection, fluoride tablets or dropsshould be taken from birth until the child is thirteenyears old. In addition, your dentist may put a fluoridegel on your child's teeth. This helps protect the surfaceof the tooth from decay.

At Head Start

Some schools and Head Start centers give children fluoridetablets. Fluoride tablets are another way of protectingteeth. These tablets are chewed and dissolved in themouth. The liquid is then swished around the teeth andswallowed.

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At Home

There are also some fluoride products that can be used athome. Even if the water in your area is fluoridated, den-tal care products containing fluoride should be used athome. You and your family should use a fluoride tooth-paste when you brush your teeth. Those fluoride tooth-pastes that have the Seal of Acceptance of the AmericanDental Association have been proved effective and safe fordaily use.

99 61

Ways to Get Fluoride

Putting fluoride on teeth will help keep them strong.

100

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It is best to brush with a fluoride toothpaste.

101


Use a fluoride toothpaste that has a picture of the seal on it.

102

LESSON:

Purpose,:

MaterialsNeeded:

WISE FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHYMOUTH

The purpose of this lesson is todevelop an awareness of the needfor wise food choices for mealsand snacks.

Variety of foods (these can beHead Start lunch or snack foodsas suggested on p. 65)

Carrot sticksCelery (one 3"-4" piece foreach child)Sugarless peanut butter or cheesespreadSunflower seeds or any similarseeds or nuts4" x 6" index cardsPictures of foods from oldmagazinesFlower pots (optional)Vegetable seeds (optional)Potting soil (optional)Parent Letter, "Wise Food Choicesfor a Healthy Mouth"

Attachments to Parent Letter,"Food Selections from the FourFood Groups" and "SugarlessRecipes"

Background For good dental health and over-Information all health, children need to de-for the Teacher: velop sensible eating habits.

Here are suggestions based onwhat is known about how foodsaffect teeth.

To get the nutrients they needfor good overall health, childrenneed to eat a balanced diet. Abalanced diet includes thefollowing:

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* Milk and Dairy Products - 3 serv-ings daily. Examples: Milk(whole, skim, evaporated, pow-dered), buttermilk, hard cheeses,cottage cheese, yogurt.

* Meat, Fish, Poultry, and Eggs - 2servings daily. Examples: Beef,veal, lamb, pork, liver, chicken,turkey, eggs, fish, dried peas orbeans, nuts, and peanut butterwithout sugar.

* Fruits and Vegetables - 4 serv-ings daily. Examples: Oranges,bananas, pineapples, melons,grapes, plums, peaches, pears,apples, and other citrus fruits;white potatoes, sweet potatoes,carrots, tomatoes, string beans,spinach, turnip greens, broccoli,and other green, leafy vegetables.

* Breads and Cereals - 4 servingsdaily. Examples: Enriched orwhole grain breads, rolls,crackers, macaroni, spaghetti,noodles, rice, oats, corn andwheat products, and cereals.

Small children need to eat somesnacks because they cannot eatall the food they need at meals.It is important, however, toselect snacks carefully.

Dental researchers know that alltypes of sugars can promote toothdecay. These sugars includefruit sugar, milk sugar, andgrain sugar such as corn syrupand honey. Sugars have many dif-ferent names, including sucrose,fructose, glucose, lactose, dex-trose, and maltose. One or moreof these sugars are contained inmany foods, such as apples,grapes, pears, raisins, andmilk. Even some medicines, suchas cough syrups, contain sugars.Because many processed foods havesugars added, you will find it

10563

helpful to read food labels whenyou shop. Labels list ingred-ients in descending order, ac-cording to weight. The ingred-ient present in the highestquantity is first on the list.It is important when selectingfoods that you read the ingred-ient label to check for the sugarcontent. If foods you serve formeals or snacks are packed in asyrup, drain and rinse the foodbefore it is served to remove asmuch of the sugary syrup as pos-sible.

From a dental point of view, thefollowing snacks are preferred:Cheese, plain yogurt, meat, fish,hard boiled eggs, peanut butter(without sugar), strips of rawvegetables, pretzels, toast,crackers, nuts, popcorn, dillpickles, pizza, refried beans,tortilla chips, cornbreads, tacos.

Although children need somesnacks, they should be dis-couraged from snacking all daylong. Because so many foods con-tain sugars and starches that cancause the bacteria in plaque toproduce acids that harm teeth, itis important to limit the numberof times a day children snackbetween meals. This will mini-mize the number of acid attacksthe teeth receive.

In addition, the physical charac-teristics of the food and thelength of time it takes to eatthe food play a role in acid pro-duction. The longer the food isallowed to remain in the mouth,the more opportunity the bacteriain plaque have to produce acid.Examples of foods that remain inthe mouth for a long period oftime are raisins, dates, sticky/soft dried fruits (figs, raisins,dates, etc.), sugary breakfast

64

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bars and cereals eaten as asnack, lollipops, breath mints,etc. For these reasons, snacksshould be selected wisely.

Please note: Foods cannot beused to clean teeth. Some peopleused to believe that when youcould not brush your teeth, chew-ing foods such as apples, car-rots, popcorn, and celery wouldserve as a substitute for clean-ing the teeth. This is nottrue. There is no substiEte fortoothbrushin and flossin .

Children should not snack all daylong. Because so many foods con-tain sugars or starches, almostevery time children eat they ex-pose their teeth to an acid at-tack.

Children should eat reasonablesnacks. These snacks should notcontain sugars of any kind, assugars can contribute to toothdecay. (Foods containing sugarsshould be saved for meals, whenthey are less harmful to teeth.)

To begin this lesson on nutri-tion, we recommend that you askthe following questions after thechildren have been served theirmeal or snack. You may want tochange the questions based on thefood items that are served thatday.

"What colors are the foods onyour plate?"

"Do any of the foods on yourplate have a special shape?"

"Are there any soft foods on yourplate?"

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"Are there any hard foods on yourplate?"

"Which of the foods is yourfavorite?"

After discussing the foods intheir meal, explain to thechildren that there are many dif-ferent kinds of food and that itis important to eat many types offood each day. To develop theconcept that foods have differenttastes, ask the children to de-scribe the various tastes of thefoods on their plate. If thereare any "finger foods," ask thechildren to describe how thatfood feels.

Classroom 1. Food Group Cards - Cut out a wideActivities: variety of food pictures from

magazines, and mount each pictureon a 4" x 6" index card. Be sureto select pictures of foods thatare familiar to children and thatrepresent all cultures. Thesefoods should also be repmsen-tative of the four food groups.For your reference, examples ofitems from the four food groupsare listed below:

Milk and Dairy GroupMilk, cheese (Swiss, Cheddar,American, Colby, cottage), andplain yogurt.

Meat, Fish, and Egg GroupNuts, eggs (esp. hard boiled),ham, chicken, lamb, tuna, shrimp,turkey, hamburger, hot dogs,roast beef, peanut butter, re-fried beans, and baked beans.

Fruit and Vegetable GroupFruits: (Fresh and/or packed inwater or natural juice.)Oranges, grapefruits, tangerines,peaches, nectarines, cherries,

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strawberries, grapes, melons,avocados, apricots, and pine-apples.

Vegetables: Salad greens, cauli-flower, cucumbers, green peppers,tomatoes, radishes, carrocelery, collards, kale, okra,corn, peas, broccoli, potatoes,and green beans.

Bread and Cereal GroupSoda crackers, toast, hard rolls,pretzels, tortillas, pizza,noodles, grits, bagels, rice,oatmeal, corn bread, fried bread,flat bread, and macaroni.

Using the food picture cards,show the children one card at atime. Ask the children to namethe food shown on the card. Ifthe children are unfamiliar withthe food, name it for them. Askchildren to identify theirfavorite foods of those that havebeen shown on the cards.

2. Food Comparisons - Give childrenthe opportunity to compare theshapes, colors, and textures ofdifferent foods by showing themtwo food cards selected from theentire group of cards you havemade. Ask what is alike and whatis different about the foodsshown. Repeat the activity usingpairs of the remaining cards.

3. Tasting Party - Using foods thatthe children seemed unfamiliarwith when viewing the food cards,plan "tasting parties," givingthe children samples of thosefoods. If possible, bring thefood in its original form andshow the food item to the chil-dren before it is broken intobite-size pieces. Have childrendiscuss how the food feels,looks, tastes, and smells. Some

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specific questions you may wantto ask include:

"What color is the food?"

"What shape is the food?"

"Is the food soft?" "Hard?"

"Does the food 'crunch' when youeat it?"

"Which teeth do you use to biteit?" "Chew it?"

"Does it taste like any otherfoods you have eaten?"

If possible, invite parents toparticipate in your tasting party.

4. Choosing snacks - Begin this ac-tivity with the following ques-tions about meals. Note: Sincemany children will not befamiliar with the names of mealsor periods of the day, describean activity the children routine-ly participate in at that time ofthe day. For example, for ques-tion two, "What do we call themeal we eat in the morning?," wehave defined "morning" by adding"right after we wake up." Forquestion three, define "middle ofthe day" by describing what hap-pens for the children at thattime of the day, such as "rightbefore you go home from school."

"What are the names of the mealsyou eat each day?"

"What do we call the meal wt_ eatin the morning, right after wewake up?"

"What do we call the meal we eatin the middle of the day?"

"What is the last meal we eatduring the day?"

"Do you ever eat food betweenbreakfast and lunch?"

"Do you ever eat food betweenlunch and supper?"

Tell the children that the foodswe eat at times other thanmealtime are called snacks.Snacks are those foods we eat inbetween our meals. Ask the chil-dren the following questions:

"Do you know that there are somesnacks that are bad for ourteeth?"

"Do you know what they are?"

So that children can becomefamiliar with various tastes(sweet, sour, salty, etc.) dis-cuss these tastes during meal andsnack times. Explain to thechildren that foods that aresweet should not be eaten as asnack. It is better to eat sweetfoods as part of a meal.

The following is a list of goodsnacks. Find pictures of goodsnacks and make a poster or bul-letin board. Have the children"name" the bulletin board. Givechildren an opportunity to iden-tify which foods on the bulletinboard are their favorite snacks.

Good Snack Examples:

Cauliflower, raw carrot sticks,celery sticks, popcorn, cheese,peanuts, crackers, pretzels, tor-tilla chips, pita bread, etc.

If possible, end this activity bygiving the children a good snackto eat.

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5. Snack, Preparation:

Give each child a 3- to 4-inchpiece of celery on a paperplate. On a table, place thefollowing items:

* A container of sugarless peanutbutter and/or a container ofcheese spread. (There should beenough for each child to stuffhis or her piece of celery with.)

* A container of sunflower orsesame seeds, or any other seedsor nuts that can be eaten and areavailable.

Allow each child to make a celerysnack by following these in-structions:

Using a plastic spreader, stuffeach celery stick with peanutbutter or cheese spread.

Sprinkle with sunflower or sesameseeds.

When each chile. has prepared hisor her snack, allow the childrento eat their snack.

6. Field Trip - To reinforce theconcept of the various foodgroups, arrange for field tripsto the following places so thechildren can develop an under-standing of various foods and howthey are produced:

* Grocery store or market (ar-range for special tours ofproduce and meat departments).

* Bakery (to see demonstration ofbread baking).

* Farm (to see the dairy pro-duction, fields of grain,vegetable gardens, and chickenhatchery).

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* Orchards (to see fruits on treesand vines).

* Fishing harbor (to see fish beingbrought in).

* Group Discussion: For an on-going activity, identify anddiscuss the various foods servedduring meal and snack time eachday.

Note: Contact a representativefrom your local dairy council -you may write for information andmaterials available for teachingpreschoolers about nutrition.

7. Planting and Growing Foods Activ-ity - If possible, make arrange-ments to use a plot of groundoutside of your classroom toplant vegetables. Consult with agardener in your area to deter-mine what vegetable plants wouldmost successfully grow in yourparticular climate as well asduring the months of the schoolyear so the children will exper-ience success with their plantingactivity.

FDr an indoor activity, vege-tables such as short carrots,leaf lettuce, and radishes willgrow and flower in trays placedon the windowsill. Consult agreenhouse for vegetable selec-tion and potting instructions foryour particular classroom. Givethe children frequent opportuni-ties to witness the growth ofplants and to share in the re-sponsibility for caring for thegarden. At harvest time, givethe children the opportunity totaste the food they have grown.

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Lesson Review,Puppet Story

Hello, girls and boys! I'm sohappy to see all your smiling facesagain. Did you have fun learningabout all those good foods to eat?Can someone tell me the name of afood you tasted here in school?Was it good? You know, there aremany great-tasting foods that helpyou grow strong and stay healthy.We eat some of these foods forbreakfast right after we wake up.Do you want to know what I like toeat for breakfast? I like a bowlof cereal with milk. And I put myfavorite fruit on top. Who wouldlike to tell me what you like toeat for breakfast? Sounds yummy!Would someone else like to tell mewhat you like best for breakfast?Sounds good to me!

If you get hungry before lunch-time, there are all kinds of goodsnacks to eat. Can someone tell mewhat you like to eat for a snack?That sounds yummy. You might likepeanut butter on crunchy celerysticks. Or a slice of cheese andsome crackers. Or some popcorn andmilk. Would someone else tell mewhat you like to eat for a snack?Sounds good! A good snack helpsyou grow strong and will keep yourteeth healthy.

But listen, kids! Sweet snacks,like candies and cupcakes, canstick to your teeth. So, if youwant a sweet treat, be sure to eatit with your lunch or supper. Whatdo you like best to eat for lunch?Foods like spaghetti and meatsauce? Or tuna fish salad? Ormacaroni and cheese? Or a crunchytaco? Or vegetables and rice?Gosh, there are so many good foodsto eat that I get hungry justthinking about them. Remember toeat good foods and brush your teethafter you eat. Goodbye, girls andboys. See you again soon!

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Parent Letter: "Wise Food Choices For a Healthy Mouth"


A healthy diet is important for your child's growth and develop-ment. At Head Start, we choose healthful foods for your child'smeals and snacks each day. We also have had classroom activi-ties to teach your child to eat foods that are most healthful.

Every day your child needs at least four servings of fruits andvegetables, four servings of breads and cereals, three servingsof dairy products, and two servings of meats. The attached pagelists some appropriate foods from each food group.

To help your child have healthy teeth, it is important not toeat too many sugary snacks. Although young children need to eatsome snacks because they cannot eat all the foods they need atmeals, it is important to choose snacks that do not containsugars. The following are good choices: cheese, plain yogurt,meat, fish, eggs, peanut butter (without sugar), strips of rawvegetables, pretzels, toast, crackers, popcorn, tacos, dillpickles, nuts, refried beans, pita bread, and tortilla chips.

If sugary foods are eaten, they should be given to your child atthe end of the meal rather than as between-meal snacks.

By giving your child a balanced diet and encouraging good eatinghabits, you can help your child have good dental health. Wehave also attached a few sugarless recipes for you to try.

Sincerely,

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FOOD SELECTIONS FROMTHE FOUR FOOD GROUPS

Dairy Group Milk, cheese (Swiss, Cheddar, American,Colby, cottage), and plain yogurt

Meat Group

Fruit andVegetable Group

4644s.,seta41iNg

Bread andCereal Group

Nuts, eggs (especially hard boiled),ham, chicken, lamb, tuna, shrimp,turkey, hamburger, hot dogs, peanutbutter, roast beef, and refried beans.

Fruits: (Fresh and/or packed in wateror natural juice.) Oranges, grape-fruits, tangerines, peaches, nectar-ines, cherries, bananas, strawberries,grapes, melons, avocados, apricots,pineapples, and fruit juices withoutadded sugar.

Vegetables: Salad greens, cauliflower,sweet potatoes, white potatoes, cucum-bers, green peppers, tomatoes,radishes, carrots, celery, collards,kale, okra, corn, peas, broccoli, pota-toes, and green beans.

Soda crackers, toast, hard rolls,pretzels, tortillas, pizza, noodles,grits, bagels, rice, oatmeal, cornbread, fried bread, flat bread, Indianfry bread, and macaroni.

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SUGARLESS RECIPES

Snacking on sugar-rich foods contributes to the decay of healthyteeth. The "right kinds" of snacks are more nutritious and lesscostly. The following are recipe suggestions for lunches, spe-cial treats, and celebrations. Help keep your child happy andhealthy.

Nutty Balls

Roll softened cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, or sugarless peanutbutter balls in chopped nuts, roasted sesame seeds, or parsley.Chill before serving.

Stuffed Celery Sticks

Stuff celery with cream cheese or sugarless peanut butter, andtop with sunflower seeds, roasted sesame seeds, paprika or cara-way seeds.

Nutty Cheese Cookies

1/4 lb. grated Cheddar cheese3-4 Tbs. milk1 cup whole wheat flour1/3 cup finely chopped nuts3 Tbs. oil1/4 tsp. saltDash of cayenne pepper

Mix cheese, flour, oil, salt, and cayenne until crumbly. Addmilk and nuts. Form into 1-inch balls. Place on oiled cookiesheet and bake at 3500 for 20 minutes.

Individual Pizzas

English muffinsTomato sauceGrated Mozzarella cheese

Cover half of an English muffin with tomato sauce. Sprinklegrated cheese over the sauce. Broil in oven until cheese melts.

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LESSON: KEEPING TEETH SAFE

Purpose: To identify ways to prevent accidentsthat might injure the mouth.

Materials Needed: Activity Pages, "Safety Do's and Don'ts"Happy Face stick puppets (see Lesson,"Toothbrushing")Emergency Procedures ChartParent. Letter, "Keeping Teeth Safe"Attachment to Parent Letter, "DentalEmergency First Aid"

Background Accidents in which children injureInformation their teeth or mouth are quite common.for the Teacher: To prevent them, children must learn

how to identify safety hazards and mustlearn how to play safely. All of thefollowing are common causes of oralinjuries:

- tricycle and bicycle accidents;

falling over objects on the floor orsidewalk;

pushing and shoving around waterfountains;

playing carelessly around swings,teeter-totters, merry-go-rounds, andother playground equipment;

chewing on ice, pencils, or other hardobjects; improperly using toothpicks;

- not wearing a seat belt while riding ina car, van, or bus;

not wearing a mouth protector whileplaying in sports activities (thisapplies mainly to older children).

The Dental Emergency Chart on the fol-lowing page should be posted in yourclassroom. You may also want to make acopy to send home with the parent let-ter for this lesson.

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In a dental emergency, Head Start staffmembers should be prepared toadminister first aid as well as seekhelp when necessary. Be sure to haveemergency telephone numbers near each

phone. When an accident occurs, yourfirst concern should be the injuredchild. Keep in mind, however, that theother children may be emotionally up-set, curious, or concerned. Use thetime following the accident to reassurethe children, and allow them to sharetheir feelings regarding the accident.Try to use this as a learning opportu-nity in order to prevent further acci-dents.

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DENTAL EMERGENCY FIRST AID

In the event of an accident to the tongue, lips, cheeks, orteeth:

Attempt to calm the child.All incidents should be handled quietly and calmly; a panickedchild is likely to create problems for treatment and may causefurther trauma.

Check for bleeding. If the child is bleeding:a. Stop bleeding by applying pressure to the area;b. Wash the affected area with clean water;c. Apply ice, wrapped in clean cloth, for swelling.

If tooth is knocked out, fractured, chipped4 broken, or loose:a. Staff should calm the child.b. If injured area is dirty, clean gently.c. Place cold compresses on the face, in the injured area, to

limit swelling.d. Immediately take the child to a dentist for treatment.

If teeth are loosened in an accident:a. Rinse out the child's mouth.b. Do not attempt to move the teeth or jaw.c. Take the child to the dentist immediately.

If a tooth is knocked into the gums:a. Do not attempt to free or pull on the tooth.b. Rinse out the child's mouth.c. Take the child to the dentist immediately.

If injury to the tongue, cheeks or lips occurs:a. Rinse affected area.b. Apply ice, wrapped in clean cloth, to control swelling.c. Take the child to the dentist or a physician if bleeding

continues or the wound is large.

In the event of any other soft tissue injury, as in the casewhere the tongue or lips become stuck to an object and the tis-sue tears:

a. Stop the bleeding.b. Cover the affected area with sterile petroleum jelly.c. Take the child to the dentist or to a physician.

Police

Fire

Paramedics

Physician

Dentist

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Starting the Lesson: Begin the lesson by asking thechildren if they have ever hurttheir mouth. If so, ask how theaccident occurred. Next, askstudents if they could have donesomething so that the accidentwould not have happened. Askstudents if they know of otherpeople who have hurt theirmouth. If so, ask them if theyknow what might have been done sothat the accident would not haveoccurred.

A. Hold up section one of ActivityPages, "Safety Do's and Don'ts."Ask children to look at the pic-ture. Ask them what they see inthe picture that might cause anaccident or injure the mouth.Then have them explain what hasbeen changed in section two ofthe picture that shows a goodsafety practice. Continue thisprocedure with each picture setof the "Safety Do's and Don'ts"pages.

B. In order to develop an awarenessthat children should immediatelyinform an adult of any injury,ask the children the followingquestions:

* If you were at a swimming pooland you hurt your mouth or teeth,who would you tell? (Elicitresponses such as lifeguard,mother, or other adults who mightbe with the child at the pool orserving as a guard around thepool area.)

* If you were on the playground atschool and hurt your mouth, whowould you tell? (Elicit responsessuch as teacher, school nurse,teacher's aide, or older student.)

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* If you were walking home fromschool and you hurt your mouth,who would you tell? (Elicitresponses such as a school guard,a police officer, a has driver,or an older pert,on whom the childknows.)

* If you were at home and in thebackyard and you hurt your mouth,who would you tell? (Elicitresponses such as baby sitter,mother, grandparent, relative,neighbor, or an older brother orsister.)

Classroom 1. Safety - Cut out each separateActivity: picture on the Activity Pages,

"Safety Do's and Don'ts." Mounteach scene on a piece of tagboard.

Distribute the "Happy Face" stickpuppets to children. Have themhold up the happy face as youdisplay a card that shows a goodsafety practice. When you holdup a card showing an unsafepractice, children should shaketheir heads back and forth andsay "no." After each card isdisplayed discuss the safetyrule(s) that should be followedto prevent the specific accident.

2. During the Halloween seasonemphasize safety of the mouth bydiscussing costume safety, goingout with an adult, being able tosee through the masks, and beingvery cautious of foods that areeaten.

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Hello, everyone! Today we'regoing to talk about somethingvery important - keeping yourteeth and mouth from gettinghurt. Has anyone ever bumped atooth while playing? Would youlike to tell me how it happened?Has anyone else ever bumped atooth or hurt their mouth? Couldyou tell me how it happened? Wemust try very hard to keep ourteeth and mouth safe. I don'twant any of you special boys andgirls to get hurt.

We can do many things to keep ourmouth and teeth safe. I alwaysput away my toys when I'm fin-ished playing. Do you know why?That's right! Then no one cantrip over them and bump a tooth.And I never put a toy or anythingexcept food into my mouth. Doyou know why? Very good! Hardthings, like toys, can hurt ourgums or chip our teeth.

Now, let's pretend you're out-side. You're playing with someother children when, all of asudden, you fall down and bumpyour tooth. Who would you go tofor help? (Parent, grandparent,older sister or brother, babysitter) Very good! It's impor-tant to tell someone you know.Well, boys and girls, remember tobe careful when you're playing.If you ever get hurt, be sure totell someone you know rightaway. Have to go now. Goodbye,kids!

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Parent Letter: "Keeping Teeth Safe"


Accidents to the teeth or mouth are common among young chil-dren. Today your child learned how to prevent accidents by fol-lowing good safety habits. For example, if children put theirtoys away after play, no one can trip and fall on them.

Ask your child to go through your home with you to help youpoint out possible sources of accidents. Then discuss how thesemight be eliminated. Set up a list of safety rules you bothmust follow.

By helping your child think about safety, you can reduce thechild's risk of injuring his or her mouth.

Sincerely,

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Safety Do's and Don'ts

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LESSON: REINFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES FORDENTAL HEALTH

Purpose: To reinforce prevention-orienteddental health concepts and prac-tices at home and at schoolthroughout the school year andafter children leave Head Start.

Materials Needed: MirrorsCassette tapeCassette recorderIndex cardsActivity Pages, "Dental MemoryGame"

Parent Letter, "ReinforcementActivities for Dental Health"

Background After the children have completedInformation the unit on dental health, thefor the Teacher: information should be reinforced

throughout the year. This helpskeep the children's interest inthe subject alive and encouragesthem to develop the daily habitsneeded for good dental health.

Many teachable moments existwithin the Head Start program toincorporate dental health con-cepts. A teachable moment is anyunplanned opportunity to developor reinforce a learning concept.

For example, during the dailymeal or at snacktime you may dis-cuss dentally healthful snacks aswell as the texture, color, andtaste of various foods. Thisprovides an easy way to remindthe children of what they havelearned regarding dental health.Children can be given dental puz-zles, games, songs, and othersimilar activities. Locallibraries may have attractivebooks on teeth. Local museumsmay have dental or health dis-

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plays the children will find in-teresting. Members of the dentalcommunity are often willing tovisit your classroom to talk tothe children about dentalsubjects.

1. Place a mirror at the children'seye level so that they can in-spect their smile on a dailybasis.

2. Make a cassette recording of thechildren singing the songs thatthey have learned about dentalhealth. Play the recordingthroughout the year on a portablecassette player as the childrenbrush their teeth.

3. As the children are brushing eachday, be sure to remind them ofall the areas of the mouth thatshould be cleaned. Say suchthings as, "Be sure to clean allthe outside surfaces of theteeth, all the inside surfaces ofthe teeth, and the chewing sur-faces of the teeth, both top andbottom." Try to use the fol-lowing phrases with the childrento reinforce their brushing hab-its and to develop positiveself-concepts:

"You're doing a good job." "Yourteeth look sparkling." "What a

. nice smile you have." "You're avery good brusher." "I likelooking at your clean smile.""You should be proud of what agood job you've done cleaningyour teeth." Etc.

4. During meal and snack time dis-cuss the kinds of foods that arebeing eaten, what color the foodsare, what texture the foods are,the flavor of the foods, and theshape of various foods. Ask the

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children to describe good food/snack choices for good dentalhealth.

5. During lessons about animals,take time to discuss the shapesof the animal's teeth and how theanimal uses its teeth.

6. Provide copies of magazines forchildren to look through. En-courage them to cut out picturesof attractive smiles, and makecollages showing all the picturesthey have selected.

7. Keep a classroom brushing chart(and, where applicable, afluoride chart), and have thechildren put a star by their nameevery day after they have cleanedtheir teeth and/or used fluoride(where applicable).

8. Card game -- Using the picturesthat are shown on Activity Pages,"Dental Memory Game," cut out andpaste the individual pictures onindex cards.

Instruct a small group of chil-dren to play a memory game byplacing all the cards face downon a table. Each child, in turn,turns over one card and then at-tempts to locate the matchingcard. If two cards match, thechild keeps the set and getsanother turn. The child with themost matching sets at the end ofthe game is the winner.

Note: It is important to workwith the children individually todetermine how many sets they cansuccessfully play with. Somechildren may be able to rememberonly three or four sets ofcards. It is better to have onlya few sets in order for the chil-dren to experience success.

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Before the children play thisgame, be sure to identify theobjects illustrated on the cardsso you can be certain thechildren are familiar with theitems.

9. On a field trip to the local li-brary, make arrangements for thelibrarian to read a story to thechildren t'-t has to do withteeth or dental health.

10. Check with the museums in yourarea to see if they have a spe-cial dental health exhibit. Makearrangements to visit that speci-fic exhibit during a field tripto the museum.

11. If there is a health center inyour community, check to see ifits staff provide special dentalprograms for preschool children.If so, make arrangements for yourchildren to participate.

12. Contact the members of the auxi-liary to the dental society, den-tal hygienists, or dental assis-tants to find out if they havespecial programs that they willconduct for young children.Represent:tives from these groupsmay be found by contacting thelocal dental society and askingthem for the name lnd number of aperson you can ca.I.J..

13. Contact the public health depart-ment in your area to find out ifit has special programs aboutdental health that its staff willpresent to preschool children.The public health department num-ber may be found in the telephonedirectory under the city, state,or county health department list-ing.

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14. If there are colleges or univer-sities in your area, contact thehealth education department or,if available, the dental schooland ask about setting up a pro-gram on dental health for yourstudents. Students of healtheducation, dentistry, dentalhygiene and dental assisting maybe willing to assist you withsome part of your dental programor be a special guest speaker inyour classroom.

15. During National Children's DentalHealth Month (February), invite amember of the dental community tovisit the classroom. For assis-tance in finding someone to visityour classroom call the dentiston the Head Start Health AdvisoryCommittee, or call the local den-tal association or society. Thenumber may be found in the tele-phone book.

16. During the month of February,incorporate a National Children'sDental Health Month activity witha Valentine party. For aValentine's Day activity, havechildren draw smiling faces onheart-shaped paper. The drawingsmay be displayed on a bulletinboard or exchanged among the stu-dents as their Valentines to oneanother.

17. Serve dentally healthful snacksfor cultural and ethnic holidayobservances throughout the year.

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Hi, boys and girls. Didn't wehave fun together learning aboutour teeth? I hope you will al-ways take good care of your teethto keep them healthy and strong.What are some of the things weshould do to take good care ofour teeth? Very good! We shouldbrush them every day. We shoulduse a fluoride toothpaste. Weshould eat good foods. We shouldbe careful not to hurt our teethwhen we play. And we shouldvisit our dental helper friendsfor checkups. Well, it's timefor me to go. But before Ileave, let's sing one of ourlittle songs together. Itscalled "Smiles We See."

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Parent Letter: "Reinforcement Activities for DentalHealth"


Your child's Head Start class has been learning about dentalhealth. Throughout the year, we will continue to remind thechildren of what they have learned about their teeth andmouth so that they will continue to care about their dentalhealth.

Please be sure to remind your child at home of theimportance of the following rules for good dental health:

1. Brush the teeth thoroughly with fluoridetoothpaste every day.

2. Eat a balanced diet and don't eat too manysnacks.

3. Visit the dentist as often as he or shesuggests.

Although your child is too young to floss his or herteeth, you will want to check with your dentist orhygienist to learn the best way you can floss his or herteeth. Also be sure to ask about the use of fluoride tomake your child's teeth more resistant to decay and aboutsealants to prevent decay in the chewing surfaces of theback teeth.

Remember, your child imitates the things you do. nytaking care of your teeth and gums, you are setting a goodexample for your child to follow. Dental disease can beprevented! Most children start out with strong, healthyteeth--help make sure that your child's teeth stay thatway.

Sincerely,

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Dental Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

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Dente: Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

Dental Memory Game

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Dental Memory Game

RESOURCES

Following is a list of national organizations that mayhave dental-related materials for use with this program.In some instances, an organization may not have materialsbut may have local societies whose members might be will-ing to serve as resource persons for your dental healthprogram. Check your telephone directory for the localsociety nearest you. If you are unable to find a listingfor a local society, you can contact the national organi-zation for the address and phone number of its localsociety in your area.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 1036Chicago, Illinois 60611312-337-2169

American Dental Assistants Association666 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1130Chicago, Illinois 60611312-664-3327

American Dental AssociationBureau of Health Education and Audiovisual Services211 East Chicago AvenueChicago, Illinois 60611312-440-2593

American Dental Hygienists' Association444 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3400Chicago, Illinois 60611312-440-8900

American Society of Dentistry for Children211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 920Chicago, Illinois 60611312-943-1244

Auxiliary to the American Dental Association211 East Chicago AvenueChicago, Illinois 60611312-440-2865

National Dairy Council6300 North River RoadRosemont, Illinois 60018312-696-1020

90145

National Dental AssociationNational Dental Hygienists AssociationNational Dental Assistants Association5506 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 24-25Washington, DC 20015202-244-7555

National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped1250 14th Street, Suite 610Denver, Colorado 80202303-573-0264

National Institute of Dental Research, N.I.H.Building 312C34Bethesda, Maryland 20205301-496-4261

U.S. Department of AgricultureFood and Consumer ServicesHuman Nutrition Information ServicePresidential Building6525 Belcrest RoadHyattsville, Maryland 20782301-436-7725

U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of Hunan Development ServicesAdministration for Children, Youth and Families400 Sixth Street, SWWashington, DC 20013202-755-7762

Your state, county, or municipal health department'sdivision of dental health services

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HOME VISIT ACTIVITIES:

If you have the opportunity to visit the home or if yourprogram includes a home visit component, the followingactivities may be conducted to reinforce good dental prac-tices by the family members.

1. Assist parents in preparing and/or selecting nutri-tious and dentally healthful snack recipes.

2. Assist parents in making recipe cards for good snackrecipes.

3. Assist parents in making a family brushing chart.List every family member on the chart, and encourageparents to work with their children on marking thechart each day following brushing.

4. Explain to parents that it is important to reinforcetheir children's dental health habits. To rewardgood dental behavior and to help build the self-esteem of their children, encourage parents to saythe following to their children:

"You do a very good job of cleaning your teeth.""I'm proud of the way you clean your teeth so well.""You have such a nice smile, I'm glad you brush yourteeth so well.""You're special! I'm glad you take such good care ofyourself.""I'm proud of your good snack choices."

5. Conduct a family "Brush-In" to teach family membersthe proper brushing skills.

6. Arrange for a dental professional to visit thefamily with you to demonstrate proper dental caretechniques.

7. Conduct a safety check at home for potential hazardsto oral health. After the check is made, help thefamily write safety rules for the home. Encourageparents to write each rule on a separate piece ofpaper, and let their children draw pictures on thesafety rule page.

8. Advise parents that they should not give a bottle ofmilk, formula, or juice to children at nap or bed-time. The liquid around the child's teeth may leadto decay. Only plain water should be used inbottles at nap or bedtime.

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9. Describe the methods of obtaining fluoride at home.Create an awareness of the ADA Seal of Acceptance ondental products. Encourage parents to select suchdental products.

10. Give parents a list of the four food groups and ex-amples of foods in each group. Discuss the impor-tance of a well-balanced meal. Work with parents onthe development of menus for their family. Be awareof favorite food items, and include them in themenus.

11. Advise parents of the dental hazards of frequentsnacking. Provide a list of sensible snackingchoices.

12. If possible, take parents with children on a fieldtrip to the dental office. Arrange for a dentalprofessional to describe the procedures that arefollowed during the child's first dental visit.

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YOUR ROLE IN HELPING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIESCARE FOR THEIR DENTAL HEALTH

Following is information on caring for the disabledchild's dental health. Please follow these suggestions inthe dental care of disabled students that you have. Ifpossible, make a copy of these suggestions for parents ofyour disabled students.

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL PROBLEMS

Preventive dental care may be difficult for children withdisabilities. The "simple" techniques of keeping teethclean can be quite difficult for handicapped children.Often a toothbrush must be adapted for the child with ahandicap. The dental profession suggests the followingmodifications:

Holding the toothbrush:

Attach the brush to the hand with a wide elasticband, or bond a fingernail brush handle to thetoothbrush.

Enlarge the handle with a sponge, piece of styro-foam, rubber ball, bicycle handle grip, or similaritem.

Lengthen the handle with a piece of wood or plasticto aid those with limited shoulder movement.

Bend the brush handle after warming it. Vigorouslyrub the brush for a minute or run hot tap water overthe handle (not the head). (This procedure may notwork for all toothbrushes.) Then bend the brushhandle into position to clean the child's teeth.

What Positions Can Be Used?

If an adult must clean the child's teeth, the child's den-tist and physician should be consulted when deciding whatposition to use. Not all positions are safe for all chil-dren. Some possible positions are:

The child sits on a high chair or in a wheel-chair and the adult stands behind, using -n armto hold the child's head against the chair oragainst the adult's body.

The child then tilts the head back. A pillowbehind the child's head may be used to makethis position more comfortable. (This position

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should not be used for children who drool, gageasily, or cannot control swallowing.)

The child sits on the floor and leans the headand shoulders back against the knees of theadult, who sits in a chair. (This position isnot suitable for children who need lateral sup-port.)

The child lies on the floor, head on a pillow,and the adult kneels behind the child's head.An arm can be used to hold the child still, ifneeded.

The child lies on a bed or sofa, head in theadult's lap. An arm can be put around thechild's head and shoulders for support. (Thisposition is useful for the child who is unco-operative or whose movements are uncontrolled,as a second person can hold the child's handsor feet.)

The child sits in a beanbag chair, which allowsrelaxation without fear of falling. The adultsits or kneels near the child's head. An armcan be used to hold the child still, if need-ed. (This position is useful for the child whoIE uncooperative or whose movements are uncon-trolled, as a second person can hold thechild's hands or feet.)

If using a position in which the child leansback, take care to avoid choking or gagging thechild. Toothpaste need not be used, but thebrush should be rinsed often and the childshould rinse out his or her mouth when brushingis finished. When the teeth are clean, alittle fluoride toothpaste can be put on thebrush and spread over the teeth, or a fluoridemouthrinse can be used. This will help preventdecay by giving the teeth some of the fluorideprotection they need.

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GROUPS WORKING WITH THE DISABLED

If you need information or hello in locating a dentist whoworks with the disabled, several groups may be of assis-tance:

Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped211 East Chicago AvenueChicago, Illinois 60611312-440-2660

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 1235Chicago, Illinois 60611312-337-2169

American Dental AssociationBureau of Health Education andAudiovisual Services211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 1616Chicago, Illinois 60611312-440-2593

American Society of Dentistry for Children211 East Chicago Avenue, Suite 920Chicago, Illinois 60611312-943-2344

United Cerebral Palsy Association66 East 34th StreetNew York, New York 10016212-481-6300

National Foundation of Dentistry for theHandicapped1250 14th Street, Suite 610Denver, Colorado 80202303-573-0264

Your local dental society(Check in your phone book or write tothe American Dental Association forthe address of the dental society near you.)

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UNITED STATES PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE REGIONALHEAD START DENTAL DIRECTORS

Listed below are the names and addresses of the PublicHealth Service Regional Head Start Dental Directors foreach of the ten Public Health Service Regions. The Statesincluded in each Region are also indicated.

Region I - (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Dr. Robin LawrencePublic Health ServiceJFK Federal Building, Room 1401Boston, Massachusetts 02203

Region II - (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico,Virgin Islands)

Dr. Jan Richard GoldsmithPublic Health Service26 Federal Plaza, Suite 3302New York, New York 10278

Ms. Lucille AdlersteinPublic Health Service26 Federal Plaza, Suite 3306New York, New York 10278

Region III - (Delaware, District of Columbia,Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,West Virginia)

Dr. Robert SelwitzPublic Health ServiceP.O. Box 13716Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101

Region IV - (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,Mississippi, North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Tennessee)

Dr. Thomas McDermottPublic Health Service101 Marietta Tower, Suite 1202Atlanta, Georgia 30323

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Region V - (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,Ohio, Wisconsin)

Dr. William HallPublic Health Service, Room 3300300 South Wacker DriveChicago, Illinois 60606

Region VI - (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,Oklahoma, Texas)

Dr. Jerry GribblePublic Health Service, Room 17-351200 Main Tower BuildingDallas, Texas 75202

Region VII - (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)

Dr. Lawrence WalkerPublic Health Service, Fifth Floor West601 East 12th StreetKansas City, Missouri 64106

Region VIII - (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)

Dr. John ElliottPublic Health Service, Room 4921961 Stout StreetDenver, Colorado 80294

Region IX - (American Samoa, Arizona, California,Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific TrustTerritories)

Dr. Reginald LouiePublic Health Service50 United Nations PlazaSan Francisco, California 94102

Region X - (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)

Dr. Sherman CoxPublic Health Service2901 Third AvenueSeattle, Washington 98121

98 153*U.'S. GOVERNMENT PRtNTfNG OFFICE, '986-491'776/53301

QUESTIONNAIRE

Dental Health Education Curriculum for Use with Head StartChildren and Families

Please complete this questionnaire and return it to:

Bureau of Health EducationAmerican Dental Association211 East Chicago AvenueChicago, Illinois 60611

1. In general, I found this program to be:

a. Very useful

b. Somewhat useful

c. Not useful

Comments:

2. Please indicate whether the following sections ofthe lessons were very useful(2), or not useful (3):

(1),

Veryuseful

somewhat useful

Somewhat Notuseful useful

Purpose of Lesson 1 2 3

Materials Needed 1 2 3

Background Information 1 2 3

Starting the Lesson 1 2 3

Classroom Activities 1 2 3

Lesson Review, Puppet Story 1 2 3

Parent Letters 1 2 3

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Comments:

Please indicate ways the program could be changed to makeit more useful:

Please describe in the space below other dental healthactivities that you have successfully conducted with yourHead Start children and that you believe would be good toinclude in a revised edition of this guide:

Thank you for taking time to give us your feedback.

Name:

Address of Head Start Center:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Washington, D.C. 20201

OFFICIAL BUSINESSPENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. 3300

0

I S*4

Postage and Fees PaidU.S. DEPARTMENT OF H.H.S.

H HS-393

SPECIAL FOURTH-CLASS RATE

U.$.MDJL

DHHS Publication No. (OHDS) 86.31535

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