Rushden children get their teeth into good oral health after lecturers’ visit

Children at Rushden Primary Academy brushed up on what happens during a visit to the dentist and how to look after their teeth following a visit from University of Northampton lecturers.

Brigette Gouda, Senior Lecturer in Dental Nursing, and Vikki Clarke, Practice Educator in Dental Nursing, visited after a request from the Academy to talk about the structure of the tooth for a class project.

Other activities during the day, the first school visit by the University’s Dental Nursing team, included correct teeth brushing, maintaining good oral health and introducing the ‘Change 4 Life’ health website’s sugar app that allows users to monitor the sugar in everyday food and drink.

The children used this to look at the sugar content of their favourite treats and nibbles – with eye-opening results for some.

The children also had the opportunity to dress up as dental staff in a session to help explain the different roles of each person in the surgery and why certain items, such as masks and protective goggles, need to be worn.

Brigette said: “It was such a fulfilling day to see and capture the children’s enthusiasm and to help them realise a visit to the dentist isn’t daunting. We hope they now understand the process more clearly and have helped them to take better care of their teeth.”

Science Lead Diane Williams added: “We would definitely recommend this as an engaging way to start a topic or to provide further enrichment to a topic to other primary schools. Brigette and Vikki were knowledgeable, inclusive, friendly and left our children with a real buzz about what it is like to work in the dentistry profession.

“Some of our children had never been to a dentist before so this was a perfect way to demystify what goes on in the dentist’s chair. The children were so engaged in their learning that they went on to investigate the effects on our teeth of different drinks during our science lessons. They loved their goody bags, too – thank you!”

Find out more about Dental Nursing (FdSc) at University of Northampton.