Taking a bite out of bad dental habits

Published On Fri 18 Jan 2019 by Jonathan Watson

University of Dundee students helped local primary school pupils to brush up on their dental health on Friday.

Toothy Tigers, a student-led educational initiative from the University’s School of Dentistry, visited St Paul’s RC Academy to highlight the importance of good oral health to around 200 P7 pupils from local cluster schools.

The team of eight dental students demonstrated to pupils how to look after their teeth, showing them how to brush correctly and highlighting how sugary snacks and drinks can take a bite out of their pearly whites.

Professor Peter Mossey from the School of Dentistry said, “Toothy Tigers was started two years ago by our students to help promote positive health messages.

“The aim of these sessions is to prevent tooth decay and to demonstrate to pupils how they can protect their teeth.

“Oral health is a window to a person’s general health and encouraging positive habits in youngsters is crucial to ensuring good dental health as they grow older. It also gives our students a fantastic opportunity to act as health ambassadors, to discuss the work that they do and to act as positive role models for school pupils.”

Rosaleen Sharkey, Depute Head Teacher at St Paul’s, added, “We are absolutely delighted to work with Professor Mossey and the Toothy Tigers and we hope that this is the first stage in a developing partnership to improve dental health among our pupils.”

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