As the season changes and summer turns to fall we slowly transition back to the school routine. What does this mean for your oral health? Believe it or not there is a direct correlation between oral health and performance in school. According to studies, students with preventable, untreated oral health problems may have trouble concentrating and learning, have frequent absences from school, or develop permanent disabilities that affect their ability to learn and grow.1 Additionally, children who take an exam while they have a toothache are unlikely to score as well as children who are undistracted by pain.2
Have you had you or your child’s semi annual oral health exam? During this exam we assess tooth development, diet consultation, sugar intake, perform a caries risk assessment, oral cancer screening, proper oral hygiene instructions and determine the presence of tooth decay. It has been proven that kids with dental decay have difficulty concentrating, leading to reduced self-esteem, and frequent school absence. It has been shown that students ages 5 to 17 years missed 1,611,000 school days due to acute dental problems, or an average of 3.1 days per 100 students.3 Establishing a dental “home” reinforces the benefits of oral hygiene and most importantly ensures a lifetime of healthy teeth. Get your child off to their best school year ever and visit River Heights Dental Care for your oral health examination. Visit us at www.riverheightsdental.com or like us at www.facebook.com/pages/River-Heights-Dental-Care.
1 McCart L, Stief E. 1996. Creating Collaborative Frameworks for School Readiness. Washington, DC: National Governors’ Association.
2 Rothstein, R. March 7, 2001. Lessons: Seeing Achievement Gains By An Attack on Poverty. New York, NY: New York Times.
3 National Center for Health Statistics. 1996. Current estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 1996 (Vital and Health Statistics: Series 10, Data from the National Health Survey; no. 200). Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics.
