Pre-school children keep on smiling

Published on 01 May 2019

Pre-schools across the Gannawarra Shire continue to promote oral health as part of the Smiles 4 Miles program.

Smiles 4 Miles is an oral health promotion program for pre-school-aged children developed by Dental Health Services Victoria. The program is implemented locally by Northern District Community Health in partnership with Gannawarra Shire Council.

Mayor Lorraine Learmonth said that all five Gannawarra Shire pre-schools are awarded under the Smiles 4 Miles program.

“These awards recognise our local pre-schools for their commitment to improving the oral health of young children and their families. This is achieved through ongoing simple messages around the three key messages of clean well, eat well and drink well,” Mayor Learmonth said.

Northern District Community Health recently visited each pre-school to introduce a new dragon friend named Chomper.

“The visit by Chomper was designed to teach pre-school children how to look after their teeth,” Northern District Community Health, Health Promotion Officer, Emily Wood said.

“Chomper is a friendly dragon with very big teeth. We talked to the pre-schoolers about how to look after their teeth using Chomper to demonstrate how to brush well, eat well and drink well.

“Chomper also encouraged the children to regularly visit a dentist to have their teeth checked with each child taking home a Smiles 4 Miles pack including tooth paste, tooth brush and local dental health service information.”

Northern District Community Health Chief Executive Officer, Mandy Hutchinson said that the Smiles 4 Miles program is a great way to help children maintain healthy teeth and gums for life.

“Poor oral health causes significant health issues. We know that good habits are formed early in life and by encouraging good oral health behaviours in our young children and families we can decrease the likelihood of poor oral health and associated issues later in life,” Ms Hutchinson said.

The Smiles 4 Miles program promotes the following three steps to achieve healthy teeth and gums:

• Drink well - Drink tap water or plain milk and avoid sugary drinks like cordials, juices and soft drinks.
• Eat well - Eat a variety of nutritious foods each day and limit sugary foods, particularly between meals.
• Clean well - Brush teeth twice daily, adults should help children until at least the age of 7.

For more information visit https://www.dhsv.org.au/oral-health-programs/smiles4miles or call Northern District Community Health on (03) 5451 0200.