E-learning used to tackle children’s oral health

A new free online healthcare learning programme, designed to support good oral health in children, co-led by UCL is now available to all

The Children’s Oral Health e-learning programme was developed in conjunction with Health Education England’s e-learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH), the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons and UCLH Eastman Dental Hospital.

Aimed at parents, expectant mothers, early years healthcare workers, teachers, nurses, GPs and the public, this vital information on supporting oral health for children can be accessed via this link.

Supporting children to maintain good oral health

The Children’s Oral Health e-learning programme is designed to help all those in a position to support children to maintain good oral health – from professionals in healthcare and teaching to parents seeking guidance.

The online programme covers the main causes of tooth decay and the simple actions that can be taken to prevent the problem.

It also explains when a child’s primary and adult teeth start to appear, and what to do if a tooth is knocked out.

By the end of the session, users will have developed their knowledge of oral health and be more confident in providing children’s oral health advice.

The issue of children presenting at A&E to undergo emergency treatment for caries is a significant one.

PHE figures* show that tooth extraction is still the most common hospital procedure in 6 to 10-year olds.

Children’s wellbeing

Professor Nigel Hunt from the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, who led the tool’s development explained that oral health plays an important part in every child’s wellbeing, affecting their ability to eat and sleep, to socialise and to concentrate at school.

‘Tooth decay is almost entirely preventable, and we hope that this simple on-line exercise will equip parents, teachers and others to provide much needed guidance to children in their care,’ he said.

The programme consists of an e-learning session that will take about 20 minutes to complete with a number of self-assessment questions throughout the learning to enable understanding of the key points to be checked.

Further e-Learning for Healthcare sessions are planned for 2019 to support the understanding of children’s oral health advice for the health and social care workforce.

* PHE figures released 6 March 2019

Links

UCL Eastman Dental Institute

Children’s Oral Health e-learning programme