Proper Hygiene among School-Aged Children Oral health care

The word oral pertains to the mouth which consists of teeth, gums, jawbone and other tissues within the mouth (Mohegan, 2010). Oral health care is not just caring for your teeth, it involves the whole mouth. Oral health care is said to be the overall window of overall health of an individual. Mouth is the mirror of the body and the access to good health. An important part of good oral health knows how to brush and floss correctly. Thorough brushing and flossing each day removes plaque. Caring for your mouth affects the general health of the individual. If the individual doesnt care for the mouth properly, the chance is higher for having a disease. It is said that there is an intimate connection between oral health and overall health. Your mouth is teeming with bacteria, most of them harmless. Normally the body's natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, can keep these bacteria under control. However, harmful bacteria can sometimes grow out of control and cause oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease. Oral health care should start on while young, because oral disease starts when the child eat foods, all these foods have common bacteria one of this is the fungal infection that is called Candida Albicans this fungal infection stays in some part of the mouth which causes the tissue to be damage. This causes tooth decay which is common in children which then greatly affect the health. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 6090% of school children is affected by dental carries. According to the 2006 National Oral Health Survey (NOHS) revealed that 97.1 percent of six-year-old children suffer from tooth decay (A.K. Guiang, 2012)

Caring for the most is important because it prevents diseases, one factor for this caring is the behavior, if the habit of tooth brushing is less, there is more likely to have a disease. Proper tooth brushing is one of the examples for caring for the mouth. In tooth brushing, there must have toothpaste, clean water, and a toothbrush. Toothpaste is an antimicrobial agent like xylitol which prevent the accumulation of bacteria; it also helps to strengthen the gums. Tooth brush is the most important element in caring for the mouth, a tooth brush must be soft brittle making it assure that is will not cause the gum to bleed. Tooth brush must not be shared by two or more people.
One study and revealed that some Filipino family members share one toothbrush, while some families do not even own a toothbrush (Department of Health, 2007). To have a proper caring for the mouth, tooth brushing must be done in this way: Start by brushing the sides of your teeth that touch your cheek. Second one is, angle your toothbrush so it is up against your teeth and gums and jiggle the toothbrush back and forth in small strokes. Do only a few teeth at a time, and do it several times in each spot. Next, when you have completed the cheek side of your top and bottom teeth, brush the side that faces your tongue on the top and bottom teeth in the same way. Finally, brush the flat, chewing surfaces of your top and bottom teeth. These surfaces have many deep grooves where germs can hide out. Brush your tongue

when you finish brushing your teeth to help your mouth feel fresher. To maintain the health of your teeth and gums, clean in between your teeth with dental floss after tooth brushing. To protect the oral health there are some tips to do it, brushing the teeth as much as 3 times a day, replace the toothbrush once every three or four months , having a healthy diet and avoiding too much sweets and having regular dental check up at least once a year (Car, 2011) Good oral health prevents many diseases such as periodontal diseases. Periodontal diseases are infections of the gums that gradually destroy the support of your natural teeth.

http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=281328520375 http://asianfanatics.net/forum/topic/11857-filipinos-have-bad-teeth-some-share-1-toothbrush/ http://www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/oralbrush.htm