Activities for Teaching Children Oral Hygiene

Teaching children how to brush, floss and rinse their mouth in order to keep their teeth clean and prevent cavities is important. Oral hygiene is an important contributor to overall health. Teaching good hygiene when children are young can prevent dental problems down the road. According to the American Dental Association, 28% of 2- to 5-year-old children have dental caries, also called tooth decay. Luckily, good oral hygiene can prevent tooth decay.

  1. Teaching Children to Brush Their Teeth

    • Beginning in infancy, and following each meal, kids can be conditioned to brush their teeth just as they're taught to wash their hands and face. Parents can model the behavior by allowing children to come into the bathroom with them to brush their teeth and even a 2-year-old can hold her own toothbrush. Invent your own memorable little song or chant to sing as you're brushing your baby's teeth, make sure the words define the area you're scrubbing, so that once the song is memorized they remember to brush each surface. Brush the child's teeth before you brush your own, and then allow the child to brush theirs while you're brushing yours; toddlers love to imitate.

    Tooth Decay Activity

    • Use a digital camera to take a "before" picture of each child, smiling and showing their shiny white teeth. Print each child's photo twice and have them color the teeth brown in one of the smiles. Use black and brown washable markers to simulate tooth decay and cavities. Have them hang it in the bathroom or use it as a reminder to brush their teeth more often. If it's hanging by the front door it can remind them to brush before they leave the house. If it's hanging in the kitchen it can remind them to brush after every meal.

    Tooth Decay Experiment

    • Children who have lost a few teeth can use them to do an experiment about tooth decay. Have them soak each tooth in a different beverage for a specified length of time. Try coffee, soda pop and water. After a week or so, remove the teeth and compare the results. What color are the teeth? How are the surfaces textured? Which beverage had the worst effect? Compare these teeth to the teeth in your mouth. Try brushing these teeth, does the damage brush away? Conclude the activity by discussing the importance of cleaning your teeth between meals, and not allowing these sugary beverages the opportunity to sit on the teeth for long.

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