Campaign encourages parents to prioritise oral health during back-to-school

A new campaign launched by the ADA, designed to promote the Association’s consumer-facing oral health information Teeth.org.au, is encouraging parents to prioritise oral health during the back-to-school period ... and beyond. 

In addition to getting the necessary supplies like shoes and stationery, parents are being reminded that kids need to brush and floss every day, eat low-sugar food and drinks, wear a mouthguard for sport, and see their dentist regularly.  

They should also investigate whether their children qualify for dental services under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) which covers a part or full cost of some basic dental services for children if parents receiving certain payments from the Federal Government.  

The information that parents need to properly look after their children’s oral health can be found at Teeth.org.au, which dentists can use with their patients, and which provides clear, peer-reviewed information on a range of topics including: 

Brushing 
"Brushing teeth every day is not done just to keep your breathe fresh and mouth feeling clean. It is an important part of keeping your teeth, mouth and whole body healthy. The Australian Dental Association recommends brushing two times per day, for 2 minutes each time." 

Brushing

Flossing 
"Cleaning between the teeth is known as 'interdental cleaning'. This is a key part of daily dental health routines for both children and adults. It is just as important as toothbrushing for your oral health."

Flossing

Consuming low-sugar drinks and food  
"Sugary drinks can affect the teeth by causing tooth decay and tooth erosion. These drinks include soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, pre-made iced teas, and fruit juice. The best choices for tooth-friendly drinks include water and milk. Tap water is the preferred option because in many Australian communities, the community tap water has fluoride added to it at the recommended level to help protect and strengthen teeth." 

Sugary drinks

Wearing mouthguards 
“A sports mouthguard can protect you from some serious sporting injuries, such as broken jaws, fractured, cracked or knocked-out teeth, cut lips and tongues. If you play a sport, you are at risk of injuring your teeth and mouth.” 

Mouthguards  

Visiting your dentist regularly 
"You should approach finding a dentist as a long-term proposition. Seeing the same dentist over a long period of time provides you with "continuity of care" where your dentist knows your history of dental treatment which cannot be matched by regularly changing dentists." 

Choosing a dentist  

The full range of Back-to-school campaign material including posters and social media items can be downloaded below. 

Download