11
Oral Health
Most babies begin teething
when they are around six
months old.
It is important to begin
brushing your baby’s teeth as
soon as they appear.
Brush twice a day using a
smear of toothpaste containing
no less than 1000ppm fluoride
(see picture).
Developing a good brushing
routine from a young age can
really help your child develop
their own routine when they’re
old enough to brush their own
teeth. Try to make brushing
fun - turn it into a game, brush
your own teeth at the same
time, or sing a song/listen to
music.
1
Going to the dentist
Visiting an NHS dentist is free
for children. Regular visits to
the dentist from a young age
can help get baby used to the
smells, sounds and tastes.
Taking baby with you to your
dental appointments can be a
good first step.
Immunisations
There are a number of serious
diseases such as diphtheria,
tetanus and whooping cough which are preventable through
the vaccination of your child.
These are quick, safe, free
and extremely effective. Once
your child has been vaccinated
against a disease, their body
can fight it more effectively. If
a child isn’t vaccinated, they
remain at risk of catching the
illness and of passing infection
on to others.
There is a recommended
timetable for routine childhood
vaccinations. This timetable
has been timed to give children
the best chance of developing
protection against these
diseases safely and effectively.
If your child has missed an
appointment or you delayed
an immunisation, it is possible
to continue the immunisation
schedule without having
to start again. Just make a
new appointment at your GP
surgery.
2
find out more
Sugar For more information on sugar
in food and drink visit www.facebook.
com/oxfordshirecountycouncil
Dentists To find a local dentist visit
www.nhs.uk or call 0300 311 2233.
Immunisation Visit www.nhs.uk/
conditions/vaccinations for more
information on vaccination schedules.
1 Information kindly provided by our partners Oxford Health Oral Health Promotion Unit [email protected]
2 Information kindly provided by Public Health England, Thames Valley.
Picture taken from PHE (2014) Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention.