Faculty and staff at the USC School of Dentistry are urging parents to add a toothbrush, dental floss and healthy snacks to go with pencils, notebooks and paper supplies on their back-to-school shopping lists.
A new toothbrush and some dental floss can help encourage a child to practice healthy habits both at home and at school, according to Julie Jenks, an assistant professor at the school, which is located in the Figueroa Corridor district south of Downtown. Jenks said that a healthy diet is just as important for oral hygiene, and she urged parents to pay attention to what’s in their child’s lunchbox and on the menu at school cafeterias.
“Snacks like chips, cookies, and dried fruit have sugars that can stay stuck on teeth for long periods,” Jenks says. “Fresh fruits and vegetables make the healthiest snacks, and things like apple slices, carrot sticks and string cheese even come in lunchbox-friendly packets.”
Gardner Beale, a clinical associate professor at the school’s Pediatric Dental Clinic, reminds parents that children should be limited on the amount of soda they drink because many of the beverages contain sugar and acid that can be harmful to teeth. Beale suggests that parents encourage youngsters to instead drink milk or water.
The start of each school year brings other areas of concern for parents of children who will play sports. Dr. Ramon Roges, who serves as director of the Center for Urgent Care at USC—and also as the dentist for the school’s highly ranked football team—says it’s important for young athletes to wear mouth guards that have been properly fitted to their teeth.
“Mouth guards can prevent a lot of serious injuries,” Roges says. He adds that parents can prepare “boil and bite” mouth guards at home for children whose smiles are changing rapidly as new permanent teeth arrive. Dentists can custom-fit mouth guards for older children who have all of their permanent teeth.
The USC School of Dentistry also offers a reminder about the importance of regular dental check-ups.
Jenks says that regular check-ups can help parents address the oral health concerns of their children before they turn into painful, expensive problems. Oral health problems can also affect a child’s learning, according to several recent studies that have found that dental pain and other conditions are leading causes of missed school days nationwide.
“When you’re in pain, you can’t concentrate and you can’t learn,” says Beale. “And as the problems gets worse, they not only hurt more, but also get much more expensive to fix.”
The USC School of Dentistry will offer more than advice to parents when faculty and staff host their second annual Family Fun Dental Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 20 at the Norris Dental Science Center at 925 W. 34th Street. USC dentists will provide free oral health assessments to children and adults. The fair will also include educational games, carnival entertainment, and a “Tooth Fairy Story Time.”
Any children entering public-school kindergarten classes are required by state law to have a dental assessment; children who are entering first grade in public schools and have not yet had a check-up are also required to have an assessment. Assessment forms to show proof of dental care to school officials will be available at the upcoming Family Fun Dental Fair.
