JEDDAH, 7 May 2008 — The staff of governmental school No. 6 in Jeddah hosted a lecture for parents entitled, “Healthy Children, Happy Teeth.”

The aim of the lecture was to drive home the message that proper dental hygiene is an important factor of a child’s growth and if taught correctly from a young age can positively impact the child’s life into adulthood.

Dr. Thuraya Basudan, a dentist at the primary care center in Al Nuzla district gave the lecture. She told Arab News that she began visiting schools and discussing dental hygiene when she was still in university and added that it was the fifth time she had lectured on the subject.

When Arab News asked her why she has decided to continue speaking to groups about the importance of keeping one’s teeth healthy beyond graduation, she said, “My goal is just to provide education to parents on how to care for their children’s teeth and I hope that by sharing my knowledge I will be a positive force in helping the Kingdom’s children become healthier,” she said.

Using a slideshow of images while speaking, Dr. Basudan opened the lecture with the question, Do you love your teeth?

She went on to say that the first step to getting children motivated is to make them love their teeth. She then explained that teeth are not only used for eating but speaking as well and added that children who don’t accurately care for their teeth can develop stomach problems and become self conscious of their appearance.

She told the 30 mothers in attendance that it is best to teach and monitor children from ages two-four years of age to brush their teeth and that by age six children should be able to brush alone in front of a mirror. She also provided the mothers of children under two years old the method they could to help the child brush properly.

“It is best for the mother to wash her hands and wrap a small clean towel around her forefinger to gently wipe the new teeth of infants clean and remove bacteria,” she said.

The worse five offenders to the health of children’s teeth, the doctor said, are candy, chocolate, ice cream, chips and juice but also added how kids could have their sweets and have healthy teeth too.

“I advise that mothers should make a weekly schedule and allow one of the five offenders daily,” she said, adding, that brushing teeth after meals and snacks is the best route to complete dental health.

She also said that surprisingly certain medicines were also detrimental to healthy teeth such as blood pressure, cortisone, and diabetes medications used in children with certain types of medical conditions and further enforced brushing as the most positive way of dealing with the dilemma of developing cavities.

Among the techniques stressed in the lecture, brushing with a soft brush with a head no larger than 20cm in length was advised.

She also said brushing left to right was an incorrect method and said that the brush should be held at a 45 degree angle against the teeth and brushed from top to bottom in an outward motion.

Dr. Basudan also dispelled the misrepresentation many toothpaste manufacturers portray in advertising to add toothpaste from end to end on the bristles of the toothbrush.

“This is incorrect,” she said, adding the best method for children is to add a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to the brush as problems can occur when the child swallows massive amounts of toothpaste.

The lecture also covered the proper use of dental floss, mouthwash, and fluoride use.

“If you see some people have white deposits on the tops of their teeth near the gums this means they have an excess of fluoride, but usually the case with people in Jeddah is that they have a fluoride deficiency,” she said.

After the lecture, Headmistress of the school, Ebtisam Abdulaziz Shalabi, thanked the doctor for her presentation and showed her appreciation for the mothers who took the time and initiative to attend.

Shalabi said, “I believe that knowledge in all subject is something that can not only be passed from teachers to students but also from parents to children.”

Shalabi also hoped to make the lecture an annual event and would like to coordinate with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education on developing other educational presentations on other relevant subjects in the future.

Mothers who attended the lectures also had positive things to say with many of them enthusiastically approaching Dr. Basudan to ask questions after the lecture.

Dr. Haifa Sharafy, a general practitioner and mother at the lecture told Arab News, “I have truly learned some good and surprising information about dental health today that I will use it at home and also educate my patients,” she said.

“When I first read the invitation asking mothers to come and hear a lecture about caring for teeth I thought it sounded interesting but now after hearing the presentation am very happy I attended, as I found it highly useful,” a Saudi mother who wished to remain anonymous said.