Schoolchildren at Seascape Primary School who take care of their teeth are being rewarded with the Healthy Teeth Award as well as happy healthy smiles.

Seascape Primary School in Peterlee will be presented with the award on Monday 29 June 2009 for helping children care for their teeth.

The school has already demonstrated a very healthy eating regime towards snacks and the discouragement of regular birthday cakes coming into the school. This has given them a good start at achieving the Healthy Teeth Award. This is the first year that the school has gained the award.

The Healthy Teeth Award has been developed as part of the national programme aimed at targeting foundation stage children (under 5s). Dental decay is still a serious problem in young children and the aims of the award are to help reduce tooth decay in young children. Statistics show that Easington has a high percentage of children under the age of five years who have experience of tooth decay.

Further aims of the award is to raise awareness between the strong link to healthy eating and good dental health, as well as reinforcing the importance of regular thorough toothbrushing for young children with the support of an adult is very important.

Under the awards scheme, schools are encouraged to use a range of learning opportunities and active play to promote awareness among small children about caring for their teeth. These were centered on three main elements, namely: • To help reduce tooth decay in young children • To raise awareness of the very strong link to healthy eating and good dental health • To reinforce the importance of regular, thorough tooth-brushing for young children with the support of an adult.

Sandra Laws, Project Lead for the NHS Oral Health promotion Team, said: “It is important that steps are taken to reduce tooth decay in young children. Healthy teeth enable young children to eat and talk as well as having a happier smile. Healthy teeth also lead to ‘treatment free’ visits to the dentist which make a more pleasant experience for young children. “We are particularly targeting areas where oral health is known to be poor and taking steps to help with this. Children will benefit from following a good oral health routine in nurseries and schools and by making parents aware of what we are doing it will hopefully make it easier for them to continue having a healthy diet and a good brushing routine at home.”

Some of the key messages to having good general health and a healthy smile are, brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, flossing them daily and regular appointments with a dentist are a good start towards healthy teeth.

What you eat affects your whole body and the same rules that will keep the rest of you healthy work just as well for your teeth.

• Sugar Sugar may be sweet, but what it does to your teeth certainly isn’t. Each time you eat or drink anything sugary, your teeth are under 'acid attack' for up to one hour after eating. This acid can bore a hole in the tooth and, in worst cases, expose the dentine (the soft, live inside of your teeth), which can cause toothache. Try to say no to sweets, cakes, biscuits, or anything with added sugar.

• Fizzy drinks With or without sugar, fizzy drinks should be saved for special occasions as they can be quite destructive to teeth too. The bubbles are made by pumping gas into the drink to make it fizzy. The gas used is carbon dioxide, which is acidic when mixed with water.

• Fruit and veg Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day offers a whole host of health benefits, as well a providing you with the vitamins, nutrients and fibre you need. A portion is around 80g (about a handful). While eating fresh fruit is a great way to make up your five servings, steer clear of too much dried fruit and fresh fruit juice as they contain lots of sugar, which is bad for your teeth.

• Bread, pasta, rice and potatoes Starchy foods such as these should make up around one-third of your daily diet. These foods are a good source of energy, and if you choose wholegrain varieties they're packed with fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer, which helps you cut out those sugary snacks.

ENDS Journalists and photographers are welcome to attend the above event. If you do plan to attend or would like further information please contact the communications department on 0191 333 3386.