Consider how important a mouth is. Turned up or down, it is the first thing we notice about people, setting the scene for the mood of the situation. A baby's first smile releases an outpouring of love from all who see it. For the first few months a toothless grin is cute, but as time goes on a smile requires a complement of teeth, which must be looked after because they have to last a long time.
This year's National Smile Week from 15-21 May, promoted by the British Dental Health Foundation, is called 'talking teeth'. Dentists, health practitioners, nurseries, schools, playgroups and parents will be raising the profile of healthy teeth around the UK.
True or false?
Commercial fruit-flavoured waters are better for teeth than cola drinks.
False. Many fruit-flavoured waters contain sugar in high concentrations, some as much as ten to 15 teaspoons per litre. The British Dental Health Foundation has warned that the added sugar in these, and other fizzy drinks, 'could be taking away the benefits of a balanced diet for children'.
Fruit juice is not harmful to teeth.
False. Natural sugars in fruit are released when it is blended or juiced.
Frequent drinking of fruit juice can damage teeth. Even so, fruit juice is a healthy choice, as a single glass counts as one of the recommended 'five a day' portions of fruit and vegetables.
The sugar content of apples has increased over the past ten years.
True. Food Standards Agency tests show that some modern apples have a sugar content of 15 per cent - equivalent to four teaspoons of sugar in a 5oz apple. Ten years ago apples only contained 10 to 15 per cent.
More people are registered with an NHS dentist than a decade ago.
False. According to Hansard (19 March 2003), where reports of debates in parliament are printed, in 1996, 52 per cent of adults and 62.2 per cent of children were registered with NHS dentists, whereas at the time of the report this had gone down to 45 per cent and 61 per cent.
Fluoride is always good for teeth.
False. Too much fluoride can cause discolouration of teeth. Some water supplies contain natural fluoride, but fluoride can be introduced artificially, and it is contained in many types of commercial toothpaste.
Seek advice from your dentist as to how much is too much.
Multiple choice questions
1 If you give children sweets as a treat, you should:
a give small amounts throughout the day
b ensure all sweets are eaten at one sitting.
2 The full set of first teeth consists of:
a 32 teeth
b 20 teeth
c 3,000 teeth.
3 What percentage of children in the UK have signs of tooth decay by the age of five?
a 43 per cent
b 10 per cent
c 27 per cent.
4 What is the hardest tissue in the human body?
a Bone
b Cartilage
c Tooth enamel.
5 Who was known to have an ill-fitting set of dentures carved from hippopotamus ivory?
a George Washington
b Queen Elizabeth the First
c Winston Churchill.
6 Which of these famous figures already had a tooth at birth?
a Napoleon
b Julius Caesar
c Louis XIV.
7 Which of the following ingredients are in toothpastes of today?
a Sodium monofluorophosphate
b Sorbitol
c Hydrated silica
d Calcium carbonate
e Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
f Sodium saccharine
g Titanium dioxide
h Sodium lauryl sulphate
i Trisodium ortho phosphate
j Polythene glycol
k Flavour
l Propyl paraben
m Methyl paraben
n Treated aqua.
ANSWERS
1 b. The frequency of sugar intake is more important than the quantity.
Having the teeth bathed in sugar throughout the day is more likely to increase tooth decay.
2 b. The first set - the baby, deciduous or milk teeth - consists of 20 teeth. There are 32 teeth in the second set, the permanent adult teeth. It is Great White Sharks who have 3,000 teeth, if you dare count them.
3 a. It is estimated that 43 per cent of children have some evidence of tooth decay by the age of five. In one study of 177 primary schools in Scotland, nearly half the children needed treatment, while a survey of NHS dental services in Doncaster showed nearly half of all five-year-olds in South Yorkshire had tooth decay.
4 c. The enamel covering of a tooth is the hardest bodily tissue, with a 96 per cent mineral content. Next is inner dentine of the tooth, which is much like bone but harder.
5 a. George Washington.
6 All of them.
7 All of them. This list of ingredients was taken from one tube of toothpaste bought in the local chemist's shop.