Family Health - Dental Health and Personal Care

Family members, both adults and children, will develop habits of good dental health and personal care.

 

Lesson Preparation

1. Collect the following items to use in the lesson: Water, soap, chlorine bleach towel, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

2. Find an inexpensive place for family members to purchase disinfectant soap and personal items such as combs, toothbrushes, and washcloths.

Concepts to be Taught:

Family members will be healthier if they keep their bodies clean and fee from germs. Each person in a family needs his or her own toilet articles. Family members should keep teeth clan to prevent tooth decay, gum disease and tooth loss. Each family member should brush his or her teeth properly after every meal.

Click on the magnifying glass of any image for enlargement.

Introduction:

Hold up a pair of scissors or other tool that is covered with dirt. (It can be covered with dirt for the demonstration.) Ask: What is this tool used for? What condition is this tool in? Dirty. Does this tool function just as well dirty as clean? No, the roughness of the dirt can wear down blades on the scissors or clog the hinges completely. Dirt and germs on our body can act the same way. Not only does it not look good to be dirty, but it can also harm us by allowing germs to enter our bodies and cause us to get sick and not function properly.

Concept #1:

Family members will be healthier if they keep their bodies clean and free from germs.

One very important way to keep our bodies healthy is to keep it free from germs that may enter into any breaks that are in the skin. We can do this by regular washing and bathing. It is important to do the following:

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Ask who can remember the 5 points of cleanliness

1. Regularly wash and rinse hands (#1). Our hands are constantly in contact with many items throughout the day. We also use our hands to eat and touch ourselves and others. It is important that our hands are clean and we do not spread germs from one place to another. It is especially important to clean hands before eating or caring for a child or sick person. It is important to clean hands after handling garbage or dirty clothing or using the toilet. Hands should be cleaned with soap and water. Rinsing hands in a sanitizing solution with bleach will help to kill even more germs.

2. Bathe at least two times a week (#2). It is best to wash your body daily but if that is not possible, try to bathe at least two times a week. Skin diseases are caused by bacteria, mites, lice, fleas, and fungi. Especially clean your face, back, and feet. If possible, use an antiseptic or disinfectant soap when you wash.

3. Shampoo your hair once a week (#3). Washing hair regularly can result in a healthy scalp and hair free from germs. If your hair has lice, use a special shampoo with the ingredient called lindane. Leave the lather in you hair for 15 minutes and rinse with clean water. Do not get the shampoo in your eyes. The lice eggs can be removed by rinsing the hair in warm vinegar and wrapping the head in a vinegar soaked towel for 30 minutes. Finish by combing hair thoroughly with a clean fine-toothed comb.

4. Keep your feet clean and wear shoes (#4). Protect your feet from germs and parasites in the ground by cleaning your feet well and wearing shoes or sandals. This is particularly important where there are animal or human wastes.

5. Sleep in clean bedding (#5). Germ, lice, mites, and other things that can cause harm to the body can be found in unclean bedding. Try to wash and sanitize bedding each week. Pillows, sleeping mats, cots, etc. should be taken outside occasionally and placed in direct sunlight. It is best, if possible, for each child to sleep in a separate bed. If they share a bed, children and bedding need to be washed frequently.

   Learning Activity #1: Play a review game with family members to see who can remember the 5 points of cleanliness that were just discussed.

Concept #2: To prevent the spread of germs, each family member needs their own set of toilet articles.

Germs and infection can often be spread from one family member to another if they do not have their own articles, including com, face towel, toothbrush. They should be placed so they do not come in contact with one another, for example, hang towels on separate pegs.

Discuss where toilet articles can be stored for each member of the family
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
Figure 9.
Show toothbrush either bought or homemade
Show correct way to brush teeth
Figure 10.
Figure 11.
Show correct way to floss teeth

Learning Activity #2: Show various toilet articles and discuss how they could be stored in the home for each family member.

Concept #3:

Family members should keep teeth clean to prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss.

Our teeth, if properly cared for, can last a lifetime. Proper care starts in childhood (#6). A child needs to learn to care for his baby teeth in order for his adult teeth to come in properly. Adults also need to care for their teeth to be able to eat properly and keep healthy throughout their lives (#7-8).

If teeth are not taken care of properly, the problems that may develop include toothaches, loss of ability to eat certain kinds of foods, and gum disease which can cause the loss of teeth (#9). Food particles left on the teeth continually will cause tooth decay and gum diseases.

Teeth should be brushed and flossed to stay healthy (#10). If you do not clean your teeth after meals, a film called plaque will develop over your teeth. Plaque is formed from bacteria in the mouth, plus the acid they make from sugar in food. Plaque can be easily removed the first day, but will build up and harden is it is left on the teeth. Once it is hardened, it requires a trained person with tools to remove it.

Learning Activity #3: Have a family member review why it is so important to keep teeth clean.

Concept #4:

Each family member should brush and floss his or her teeth properly after meals.

Every family member needs to brush their teeth after eating (#11). Each family member should have their own soft bristled toothbrush to be used only by themselves for their teeth. (A hard toothbrush can hurt the gums.) If the family can't afford toothbrushes, they can be made from small sticks.

To brush teeth properly, first clean the fronts and backs of the teeth, the biting surfaces, and the places between your teeth. Brush each area at least 6 times, so that the entire brushing takes 3-4 minutes.

When you buy toothpaste, choose a kind that contains fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. Only a small amount is necessary on your toothbrush. If you cannot buy toothpaste, you may also use a mixture of equal amounts of baking soda and salt or just plain salt. Moisten the toothbrush with purified water and rinse your mouth out well after brushing.

Daily using dental floss is very helpful in removing food caught between your teeth and will help prevent pain and decay. You can buy floss or make floss by running medium weight thread through some clean wax.

To floss teeth, use a piece of floss that is between 25-40 centimeters long. Hold floss between thumbs and index fingers about 7 centimeters from each end. Put floss between teeth, one at a time, slowly pulling the floss between each tooth on both top and bottom. The hums may bleed the first time but will get stronger with regular flossing. If they still bleed after two weeks, you may need to visit a dental health worker.

Learning Activity #4: Practice brushing and flossing. Make sure each family member knows how to do it correctly.

Review:

To make sure family members remember the concepts taught in this lesson, review the procedures several times during the week. If you like, it can be turned into a game for young children.

Family Activity:

To make cleanliness and dental health family habits, take time to be sure all the necessary supplies are readily available for family members to use.

List of figures for lesson 5.6

(Click on the numbered links below to view and print full-sized figures)

1. Regularly wash and rinse hands.

2. Bathe at least 2 times a week.

3. Shampoo your hair once a week.

4. Keep you feet clean and wear shoes.

5. Sleep in clean bedding.

6. Proper care of teeth begins in childhood.

7. A nice smile and clean teeth are a sign of good health.

8. Our teeth, if properly cared for, should last a lifetime.

9. If we don't care for our teeth, we could develop such problems as toothaches, loss of teeth or gum disease.

10. We can remove plaque by brushing our teeth.

11. We should brush our teeth after eating.