Parents could be jeopardising their children’s oral health by being unaware of what they are having for lunch, according to the findings of a new survey.
Parenting on Female First
The British Dental Health Foundation discovered almost one in ten parents don’t know what their child eats during school hours.
More alarmingly, a further one in 20 parents claim their child eats fast food on their lunch break.
The majority of parents were aware of what their child was eating with four in every five sending their child to school with a packed lunch or with arrangements for them to eat at the school canteen.
According to figures from the School Food Plan, uptake of school meals has remained at roughly two in every five. Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, hopes more parents will trust school meals which may help bring about further oral health improvements.
Dr Carter said: “Through initiatives such as the School Food Plan and the Children’s Food Trust, there are now minimum standards for all school meals. Gone are the days of sloppy mash and every meat tasting of rubbery chicken. Schools foods are now quite enticing and are healthy for children.
“What’s more, school meals are infinitely better than takeaways. Schools have also clamped down on what you can and cannot put in lunchboxes, and many have banned sugary drinks altogether.
“There’s a good chance that, in the case of parents unaware of what their child is eating at school, poor choices are being made. The UK is battling against rising obesity levels, and we would encourage parents to help the issue, which will in turn help to improve oral health.
“Although oral health in children of a school age has improved, roughly one in four has tooth decay. There has been widespread coverage on the number of children admitted to hospital due to tooth decay, so there is still plenty to do.
“Besides the improved school meals, an oral-friendly packed lunch is not expensive to put together. A small piece of cheese is a good tooth-friendly addition. Yoghurts, still water or juice diluted one part juice to ten parts water are also good ideas. Raw vegetables, breadsticks and nuts may not be favourable for young children, but they are healthier than sugary foods. If you send your child to school with fruit juices and raisins in their lunchbox, you’re actually doing their teeth more harm than good.
“It’s unrealistic to completely remove all sweet treats from a child’s diet. The key is not how much you eat, but how often you have them. By keeping these foods to mealtimes, you negate the damage they can do to teeth.”
For more information, visit: www.dentalhalth.org