Wales - Gwent schools teach youngsters to clean their teeth

Gwent schools teach youngsters to clean their teeth
7:20am Tuesday 21st September 2010
CHILDREN across Gwent are taking to brushing their teeth in school as part of a Wales-wide project to improve youngsters' dental health.
The Designed To Smile programme targets three-seven year-olds to try to reduce rates of decay that in some parts of Wales are 10 times worse than the best in England.
It involves community dental health teams going into nurseries and primary schools to set up supervised tooth-brushing sessions, supplying toothbrushes and fluoride toothpaste, and offering dental health advice.
Toy animals with wide smiles and bright teeth, and big toothbrushes, are used to get over to the children the importance of brushing their teeth every day.
"In a school environment the children learn from, and copy, one another," said Jane Baker, oral health co-ordinator with Gwent's community dental health team.
"Our teams go into nurseries and schools to work with the children and teachers....