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Poor brushing habits affect performance in school

A recent study has shown a link between oral pain, a child’s low level of self-worth and poor performance in school. (Photograph: Bilal Turan/Shutterstock)

Wed. 10. July 2019

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GHANA, Africa: Dentists in Ghana are planning to adopt a new approach to handling oral health, in response to research funded by Pepsodent, a Unilever oral care brand, which found that children with poor oral health are less likely to participate or perform well in class. Besides suffering from bad breath, dental caries and pain, these children tend to have lower self-esteem. This affects both a child’s academic and overall potential.

The study found that 47% of children who have felt pain in the last 12 months did not regularly brush their teeth before going to bed, and only 35% of children brushed their teeth morning and night. Moreover, the findings were that 31% of parents allowed their children to skip brushing as a reward, and only 6% of children visited the dentist for regular check-ups. According to the study, dental caries and related oral diseases may manifest in a child’s deteriorating relationship with other students. Finally, children who suffer from oral pain are nearly twice as likely to opt out of school activities and are usually quieter and more distant than their peers.

At the 28th Annual General Congress of the Ghana Dental Association (GDA), Dr Edward Ohene Marfo, a dentist at the Seventh-day Adventist Hospital in New Gbawe in Ghana, called for parents, teachers, dentists and the media to continuously educate the population in the practice of good oral healthcare. Marfo believes that this is especially important for children in order to help them realise their full potential. According to him, dentists have been focusing on the pain and the bad breath caused by dental caries and ignoring the effect the disease may have on the child’s education.

The findings encouraged members of the GDA to rethink their approach to helping young people achieve good oral health. “The most simple and effective way to prevent dental caries is to brush,” Marfo said.

In an interview, Dr Ama Amuasi, a member of the GDA and a dentist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, called on corporate institutions to help build dentistry clinics in every district in order to improve access to dental care.

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