Resources to Make you Smile!

January 09, 2025

January 2025 | Issue No. 47

Brushing Teeth at the Classroom Table

Welcome to Resources to Make You Smile! This monthly newsletter features information and tools Head Start staff can use to help families promote good oral health. These tips help Head Start staff support families, expectant parents, and children. The newsletter also includes a recipe for a healthy snack that children can make in a Head Start classroom or at home with their families.

Toothbrushing in Head Start Programs

Healthy teeth are important for children’s growth and development, speech, self-esteem, school readiness, and school performance. Head Start staff can help children brush and develop good oral health habits that will last a lifetime. Daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste helps prevent tooth decay.

Pediatric dentists recommend that children’s teeth are brushed using fluoride toothpaste as soon as the first tooth comes into the mouth. Scheduling time for children to brush their teeth with fluoride toothpaste during the program day ensures that children brush at least once a day.

Resources for Head Start Staff

Brushing Teeth in an Early Childhood Program and at Home Course
Complete this free learning course on the Individualized Professional Development (iPD) Portfolio to learn how to begin a daily toothbrushing program in Head Start programs. Find out how fluoride prevents tooth decay and the steps involved in the toothbrushing process. The iPD course also includes tips about how to work with parents to form good toothbrushing habits at home.

Brushing Teeth at the Classroom Table
Read this Brush Up on Oral Health tip sheet to learn about the benefits of brushing at the classroom table as a group, the amount of fluoride toothpaste to use, as well as how to clean and store toothbrushes.

Steps for Toothbrushing at the Table
Watch this video to see what a daily toothbrushing routine looks like in a Head Start program. Learn how to help children have a healthy smile.

Resources for Parents

Share these Healthy Habits for Happy Smiles handouts with parents to discover why primary (baby) teeth are important and how to create a routine for brushing their child’s teeth every day at home:

Cook’s Corner Recipe: Berry Egg Muffins

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed until smooth
½ to 1 cup berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Whisk the eggs into the bananas until combined.
  3.  Lightly spray each individual mini muffin tin cup.
  4. Put 2 to 3 berries in each cup.
  5. Pour the egg and banana mixture over the berries until each cup is full.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes or until cooked through.

Makes 12 servings
Safety tip: To prevent injuries, an adult should supervise use of the oven.

 

 

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Send your questions or comments to the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety at [email protected] or (toll-free) 888-227-5125.
URL: 
https://www.mchoralhealth.org/