MOUTH
MOUTH
HEROESFORSCHOOLS

TEACHER GUIDEA multimedia resource with lessons on
good oral health for children aged 5–9

www.fdiworlddental.org/mouth-heroes

Table of contents
INTRODUCTION

PAGE 3

SECTION 2. TOOTHIE’S TIPS

PAGE 13

WHY TEACH ABOUT ORAL HEALTH

PAGE 4

SECTION 3. TOOTHIE’S TREATSPAGE 18

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE TEACHINGRESOURCE?

PAGE 5SECTION 4. TOOTHIE GOES ON A TRIP

PAGE 21

SECTION 5. TOOTHIE ON TOUR

PAGE 25

WORKSHEETS AND CERTIFICATEINVOLVING PARENTS/CAREGIVERS

PAGE 26

CHECKLIST FOR PARENTS/CAREGIVERSCHECKLIST WI TH TIPSTEACHER GUIDEVIDEOSPRESENTATION SLIDES

MOUTH HEROES LEARNING JOURNEY

MOUTH HEROES DIARY

PAGE 7

HOW DO I US E THE TEACHING RESOURCE?

ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO SHARE SCHOOLWORKWITH PARENTS/CAREGIVERSTELL US WHAT YOU THINKCERTIFICATETOOTHIE EXHIBITION

PAGE 9GLOSSARYSECTION 1. TOOTHIE TALKS TEETH

PAGE 10

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

2TEACHER GUIDEIntroduction

Welcome to Mouth Heroes for
Schools, a new teaching resource
developed by FDI World Dental
Federation. It gives teachers all thetools they need to deliver engaging
lessons about the importance of goodoral health because a healthy mouth
and a healthy body go hand in hand.

Toothie, the child-friendly spokesperson for Mouth Heroes, takeschildren on an exciting journey to develop health-related life skills.
By the end of their Mouth Heroes work, children will understandhow to take care of their mouth, beware of certain foods that canharm their teeth and body, take greater responsibility for their own
oral health and feel empowered to practice healthy behaviours –now and in the future.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

Designed for children aged 5­–9 years, theresource provides a variety of activities tosuit your students as well as different ways
on how to deliver them.

There are a whole host of lesson ideas and materials; you can
use them as they are, or adapt them based on your local setting.
Importantly, the resource also recognizes the key role parents
and caregivers play in helping children practice good oral care athome and provides ideas on how to involve them.
In this way, and with your support, Mouth Heroes aims to build
valuable lifelong habits amongst children around the world.

3

TEACHER GUIDEWhy teach about oral health?
ORAL HEALTH HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR OVERALLHEALTH AND WELL-BEING. A healthy mouth not only allows
us to speak, smile, taste, touch, chew and swallow, it builds selfesteem too. However, oral health can be neglected with farreaching consequences.

Here are some facts that illustrate why education is needed toestablish good oral health habits in children as early as possible:✓✓ Globally, it is estimated 486 million children suffer fromtooth decay (caries) in their primary teeth.
✓✓ Severe gum disease and untreated tooth decay in the
primary teeth (milk or baby teeth) are among the top 10
most prevalent of all health conditions.

Some of the things we can do with our mouth
BREATHE✓✓ Tooth decay can cause pain, anxiety and lead to premature
tooth loss. More than 50 million school hours are lost eachyear because of poor oral health.

EXPRESS
TASTE
SPEAK

ATTRACT✓✓ Poor oral health can affect a child’s ability to perform at
school. Children who have poor oral health are 12 times
more likely to experience a lower level of activity due toassociated illness.

BITE
DRINK

WHISTLE

SPIT

LICK

✓✓ Children with poor oral health indicate being apprehensive
about meeting others because of their teeth, or because
others made jokes about their teeth.

EAT
MAKE
MUSIC

KISS

✓✓ Consumption of sugary foods and drinks on a regularbasis is the number one cause of tooth decay and otheroral diseases.

SUCK

By assisting teachers to integrate oral health into lessons, we canhelp drive positive change and have healthier, happier children.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

4TEACHER GUIDEWhat’s included in the teaching resource?
THE RESOURCE PROVIDES A VARIETY OF LESSON ACTIVITIES, SUPPORTED BY A SUITE OF MATERIALS TO HELP DELIVER THEM.

Teacher guide
All the ideas for your lessons are detailed in this guide. It includes:•

Learning objectives – to explain what children will learn
from the activities.

•

Background notes – to set the context.

•

Activity notes – to help plan and run the activities. They
also signpost the resources provided to deliver eachactivity, including videos, worksheets and presentation
slides (see below).

VideosA series of short, fun, cartoon-style videos follow Toothie in a quest to promote good oral health. There are 12 videos available in total, of
which seven are most relevant for children aged 5–­9 years. Each video conveys an important message:
✓✓
✓✓
✓✓
✓✓
✓✓
✓✓
✓✓

Brush your teeth twice a day
The size of a pea fits to a T
The proper brushing technique
Change your toothbrush often
No snacking after night brushing
Visit the dentist every year
Avoid sugary snacks

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

5TEACHER GUIDE

Presentation slides
The presentation slides are packed with engaging content
including imagery, quizzes and digital activities.

Worksheets and certificate
The worksheets allow children to develop their thinking andcapture results, and the certificate can be awarded at the end inrecognition of their Mouth Heroes work.

Checklist for parents/caregivers
The checklist ‘Good oral care for children’ includes helpful tips
for parents/caregivers. It gives them all the information they needto support and encourage children to practice good oral care
at home.

Glossary
A glossary has been included on page 9 that explains key oral
health terms in a child-friendly way.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

6TEACHER GUIDEMouth Heroes learning journey
THE LESSON ACTIVITIES ARE SPLIT INTO FOUR SECTIONS. There is also a fifth section, which provides ideas on how to involve thewider school community.

1 Toothie talks teeth
PAGE 10

This section introduces the topic of teeth
and why you need them.

2 Toothie's tips
PAGE 13This section is about how to take care of ourteeth and explains why this is important.

3 Toothie's treats
PAGE 18

This section is about the benefits ofchoosing healthy foods and drinks overones high in sugar.

4 Toothie goes on a trip
PAGE 21

This section focuses on a visit to the dentist– what it’s like and why we need to go.
MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

Learning objectives✓✓ Understand why teeth are important.
✓✓ Identify the different teeth in our mouth.
✓✓ Understand why we have teeth of different shapes and sizes.
✓✓ Know the different parts of the tooth.

Learning objectives✓✓ Understand how to keep our teeth clean and healthy.
✓✓ Recognize what will happen if we don’t take care of our teeth.
✓✓ Explain to others how to take care of their teeth.
✓✓ Understand that a healthy mouth is important for a healthy body.

Learning objectives✓✓ Identify healthy choices.
✓✓ Investigate, record and understand what happens if we don’t
make healthy choices.
✓✓ Understand how too much sugar can cause tooth decay.
✓✓ Know that we can make sensible choices to prevent tooth decay.

Learning objectives✓✓ Know what happens when we visit the dentist.
✓✓ Understand how the dentist helps us.
✓✓ Understand why it is important to visit the dentist regularly.

7

TEACHER GUIDE

5 Toothie on tour
PAGE 25

This section provides ideas on how to‘spread the word’ by sharing key oral healthmessages with the whole school as well as
parents and caregivers.

Objective✓✓ Get everyone in your school community to practice goodoral care.

How do I use the teaching resource?
This resource is designed to be flexible. You can select ideas to structure a programme that best suits you and your students. You may
choose, for example, to plan activities in the build-up to World Oral Health Day which is celebrated on the 20 March every year. Or, you
can plan a whole topic around teeth and healthy eating. The most important thing to remember is that however you choose to run yourprogramme, in order to empower your students to take charge of their oral health, they need to learn the following:✓✓ Brush your teeth twice a day (especially before going
to bed):• using a fluoride toothpaste• in a circular motion• for two minutes✓✓ Choose healthy foods and drinks over those high in sugar✓✓ Visit the dentist regularly✓✓ A healthy mouth is important for a healthy body

Tell us what you think
We would love to hear from you. How did you use the resource and do you have any suggestions for the future? If you get in touch, there
may be other ways we can help.
Send a message to: communications@fdiworlddental.org
We look forward to hearing from you.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

8TEACHER GUIDEGlossary
CHILDREN MAY NEED HELP WITH SOME OF THE NEW VOCABULARY THEY COME ACROSS. This glossary provides simple
definitions for key oral health words and terms.
SETS OF TEETHSTRUCTURE OF TEETH

PRIMARY
TEETH

Our first set of teeth. We have 20 primary teeth. Primary
teeth are also called baby, milk or deciduous teeth.

CROWN

The crown is the part of the tooth we can see in
our mouth.

PERMANENTTEETHPrimary teeth are replaced by 32 permanent (or adult)
teeth. Permanent teeth begin to appear from around theage of six.

ROOT

The root of the tooth is planted into the jawbone. It keeps
the tooth in place.

GUMS

Gums surround the teeth and bone, and protect the boneand roots of the teeth.

TYPES OF TEETH

ENAMEL

These are our front teeth – four in the top-centre of ourmouth and four in the bottom-centre. We bite into foodwith our incisors and use them to talk.

Enamel is the hardest substance in our whole body, and it
covers and protects our teeth.

DENTINE

Dentine sits beneath the enamel and forms the bulk of
the tooth.

CANINES

These are sharp, pointy teeth on either side of our incisors.
They tear into food and rip it apart. We have four in total.

PULP

MOLARS

Molars are the largest of the teeth. They have a flat biting
service. The function of molars is to crush and chew food
until it is small enough to swallow. We have eight molars in
our primary set of teeth. In our permanent set, we may geta further four molars called wisdom teeth. They are the lastteeth to appear, usually around the age of 21 years.

It is the soft middle of the tooth. It contains nerves andblood vessels. The pulp stretches from the crown to the tipof the root.

WHAT HARMS OUR TEETH?

INCISORSPREMOLARSThere are no premolars in our primary teeth. However,there are eight of them in our permanent set. They aresmaller than molar teeth and are also good for crushingand chewing food. They sit next to the canines.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS9PLAQUE

Plaque is a clear and sticky substance that forms on
our teeth and gums. It is important to remove plaque by
brushing our teeth twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste.
Plaque is involved in causing tooth decay.

TOOTH DECAY
OR DENTALCARIES

When you eat and drink sugary things, the plaque feeds
on the sugars to make acids. These acids can eat away atyour teeth leading to holes which are called dental caries.

TEACHER GUIDESection 1 Toothie talks teeth
This section introduces the topic of teeth
and why you need them.
Learning objectives✓✓ Understand why teeth are important.
✓✓ Identify the different teeth in our mouth.
✓✓ Understand why we have teeth of different shapes
and sizes.
✓✓ Know the different parts of the tooth.

Background notes
A healthy mouth is important at all stages of our lives. Most obviously,
teeth help us to chew food so it can be swallowed. However, the role ofteeth doesn’t end there. We use teeth to speak and smile, and a healthy
set can give us confidence when talking to others. Teeth also help togive our face its individual shape and form.
We only get two sets of teeth in a lifetime: a set of primary or ‘baby’
teeth followed by our permanent ones. There are only 20 primary teeth
because little mouths can’t fit many more. As we grow, our jaws getbigger, and our primary teeth are replaced by 32 permanent teeth –they are called ‘permanent’ because they need to last our whole lives.

My teeth talk!
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie talks teeth (slide 3)

TO START, show children the pictures in the presentation.
ASK: What is the person doing in each picture? Are they using
their teeth to do it? The pictures are of children eating, smiling,talking and singing. Alternatively, you could ask children to
draw a quick picture to show why we need teeth. What did
they draw?
DISCUSS why we need teeth. Are children surprised by any of
the ways that teeth help us?
EXPLAIN that looking after our teeth is one of the mostimportant and healthy things we can do for ourselves. Teeth
help us to chew food, speak clearly and are an important partof our smile.
TO CONCLUDE, sing your favourite song as a class without
letting your lips or tongue touch your teeth. How did thechildren find it? They won’t be able to make certain sounds like
F, S and TH.

Losing our primary teeth is normal, but we need to make sure they stayhealthy and don’t fall out too early because of tooth decay. It is very
important to take care of our primary teeth, even though they are goingto fall out to make room for our permanent teeth. Why? Healthy primary
teeth mean our permanent teeth will have a healthy new home when
they move in.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

10 TEACHER GUIDE

Tooth types

Colourful smiles

ACTIVITY NOTESACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

RESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie talks teeth (slides 5–6)
Tooth types

PRESENTATION

Toothie talks teeth (slide 8)
Colourful smiles

WORKSHEET

BEFORE YOU START, explain that it is normal to lose
our primary teeth. Our primary teeth save spaces for our
permanent ones. We just need to make sure we look after themproperly so we don’t lose them too early.
TO START, ask children to look at their teeth using a mirror.
Are all the teeth the same shape and size? If you don’t havemirrors, you can show a picture of a mouth instead; there is one
included in the presentation.
HAND OUT the ‘Tooth types’ worksheet. Ask children to
draw a tooth from the front of the mouth, at the back of themouth and a particularly pointy one. Do they know what thesedifferent types of teeth are called?
SHOW the labelled tooth types in the presentation. Askchildren to label their own pictures with the correct names.
TALK about why we have different teeth and their jobs.
✓✓ Incisors are used to bite and cut food.
✓✓ Canines are used to tear food.

WORKSHEETTO START, explain that we only get two sets of teeth in a
lifetime – a set of primary or ‘baby’ teeth followed by ourpermanent ones.
ASK: How many permanent teeth do they expect to have? How
does that compare with their primary teeth? Why will they havemore permanent teeth?
SHOW the picture in the presentation of an adult mouth withall 32 teeth. It is labelled with the different types of teeth andintroduces premolars and wisdom teeth.
HAND OUT the ‘Colourful smiles’ worksheet. Ask children
to colour each type of tooth a specific colour, e.g. canine red,molar blue.
TO CONCLUDE, assign each child a type of tooth. They thenarrange themselves in the order teeth are arranged in our
mouth, i.e. incisors at the front, canines next to them. To makeit more manageable, you can divide the class in half – one
half represents the top jaw, the other the bottom. A class of 32
would be the perfect size for this activity, but it isn’t necessary!

✓✓ Molars are used to crush and chew food.
TO CONCLUDE, children record the job of each tooth on theirworksheet. Higher ability or older children could write theirown descriptions.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

11 TEACHER GUIDEWhat's in a tooth?
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie talks teeth (slides 10–13)

TO START, ask children: What is the hardest substance inour whole body? They may assume it is bone. Reveal that it isactually enamel, which covers and protects our teeth. Do theyknow any other parts of the tooth?

SHOW the picture in the presentation of a cross-section of atooth. Talk through the different parts:✓✓ Teeth are formed of two main parts: the crown – the partthat you can see – and the root, which is planted into thejawbone to keep our teeth steady.
✓✓ Teeth are made-up of enamel, dentine and pulp. The pulp
contains nerves and blood vessels.
✓✓ Gums surround the teeth and bone, and protect the boneand roots of the teeth.
EXPLAIN that they will be creating their own model of a tooth.
This activity can be run in a variety of ways depending on age,
student ability or your preferred method.
✓✓ Use modelling clay like Plasticine or Play-Doh.
✓✓ Use different coloured craft paper.
✓✓ Use the interactive activity supplied in the presentation.
Children layer the different parts of the tooth to build andlabel their own.
TO CONCLUDE, ask children: Can our bones break? Do they
think our enamel can break? Explain that even though it is thehardest substance in our body, if we don’t take care of it, it
starts to break down. However, unlike broken bones, it will notheal and can’t grow back on its own.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

12 TEACHER GUIDEWhat are Toothie's tips?

Section 2 Toothie's tips
This section is about how to take care of ourteeth and explains why this is important.

ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s tips (slides 3–18)

VIDEOS

Brush your teeth twice a day
The size of a pea fits to a T
The proper brushing technique
Change your toothbrush often
No snacking after night brushing
Visit the dentist every year
Avoid sugary snacks

Learning objectives✓✓ Understand how to keep our teeth clean and healthy.
✓✓ Recognize what will happen if we don’t take care of
our teeth.
✓✓ Explain to others how to take care of their teeth.
✓✓ Understand that a healthy mouth is important for ahealthy body.

Background notes
Globally, an estimated 486 million children suffer from tooth decay (caries)
in their primary teeth. Tooth decay has an enormous impact on daily life
(see further statistics on page 4). It is critical that children understand how
to take care of their teeth for their own health and well-being.
Tooth decay is a disease that occurs when germs (bacteria) build up
in the mouth. This leads to the production of plaque. Plaque is a clear
and sticky substance that forms on teeth and gums, which needs tobe removed through proper brushing, i.e. twice a day, using a fluoride
toothpaste, for two minutes, using circular motions, without rinsing withwater to allow the fluoride to keep working. If we don’t take care of
our teeth, plaque will feed on the sugars from the food and drink weconsume to make acids. These acids eat away at teeth, leading to tooth
decay and caries (holes). Consuming too much sugar is also a major
cause of tooth decay (covered in more detail in Section 3).

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLSTO START, ask children: Do they know how to keep their teeth
healthy? You could collect their ideas in different ways. They:✓✓ share their ideas with the rest of the class.
✓✓ write on sticky notes and attach them to the board or wall.
✓✓ create a mind map using the format provided in
the presentation.
EXPLAIN that they are going to watch some short, fun,cartoon-style videos. Toothie, the star of the videos, is going toshare important tips for taking care of teeth. After each video,
ask children: What was Toothie's tip?
REINFORCE each of Toothie's tips using the supportingpresentation slides. These will help to extend the children’s
learning even further and help them understand theconsequences of not caring for their teeth.
TO CONCLUDE, revisit the children’s ideas from the start of
the activity. Which of Toothie’s tips did they know? What newones did they learn? Highlight that we only get two sets ofteeth in a lifetime. It is so important to take care of both setseven though one is going to fall out. Healthy primary teeth
mean our permanent teeth will have a healthy new home when
they move in.

13 TEACHER GUIDEMouth Heroes diary

What's in the picture?
ACTIVITY NOTESACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

RESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s tips (slides 20–30)

WORKSHEET

Mouth Heroes diary

WORKSHEET

What’s in the picture?

CHECKLIST

Good oral care for children

WORKSHEET

Toothie’s tips

VIDEOS

Brush your teeth twice a day
The size of a pea fits to a T
The proper brushing technique

TO START, show the two photos in the presentation. In one, achild is eating carrot sticks. The photo has a big tick next to it.
In the other, a child is eating an ice cream. It has a cross next toit. What are the pictures trying to tell us?

TO START, play Toothie’s brushing videos. They provide
advice on how and when to brush.

HAND OUT the ‘What's in the picture?’ worksheets. These
explain Toothie’s tips in pictures.

ASK children to talk about their brushing routine. Do they
follow all the steps in the videos? Who helps them to brush?

SET THE TASK: Children look at the pictures, which are stills
from the videos, to work out and write a set of instructions on
how to care for teeth.

HAND OUT the ‘Mouth Heroes diary’ worksheet. Explain thatthey need to complete this brushing diary at home for one
week. It records when they brushed their teeth and how wellthey followed Toothie’s tips.

YOUNGER CHILDREN can use the pre-written instruction
cards provided on the corresponding worksheet – ‘Toothie's
tips’. They match each instruction card with the correct pictureor set of pictures. Cut out the instruction cards before the lesson.
FLEXIBLE DELIVERY: You can run this activity as anindependent learning exercise, or in pairs and groups.
ELECTRONIC DELIVERY: We have provided the pictures in
the presentation too. Children can use them to create their own
Toothie’s tips presentations.

PARENTS/CAREGIVERS need to be brushing Monitors andHelpers. Every morning and night, parents/caregivers draw asmiley face if children brushed their teeth properly. To support
them further, there is a checklist with tips written especially forparents/caregivers. This checklist can be sent home with thechildren too.
TO CONCLUDE, collect the diaries at the end of the week.
How did the class do?

FURTHER ACTIVITIES:✓✓ Children turn their instructions into a poster for their home.
✓✓ Children select a set of pictures to write a story abouta Toothie adventure that promotes good oral care.
Encourage them to read the stories with their parents orother caregivers.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

14 TEACHER GUIDE

Toothie's brushing challenge
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCE

TITLE

VIDEO

The proper brushing technique

BEFORE YOU START, ask children to bring in their
toothbrushes. If this is difficult to organize, the activity can workwithout them too.
TO START, play ‘The proper brushing technique’ video.
What were Toothie's tips for brushing? Reinforce the following
points, if the class don’t suggest them all independently:✓✓ Brush gently in a circle✓✓ All over the teeth – front and back✓✓ For two minutes
EXPLAIN that the whole class will be taking part in Toothie's
brushing challenge!

✓✓ Start the stopwatch. Children start brushing. Observe
their technique while they brush. Children stop brushingwhen they think they’ve brushed for two minutes. But thetricky part is, they won’t know when they’ve reached two
minutes and a common mistake is not brushing for longenough! Record their individual performance in this way.
TO CONCLUDE, share the results and choose either an
overall winner, or a winner by category, i.e. best circular motion,
most thorough clean, brushed for two minutes. Reinforce theimportance of brushing properly to remove plaque which, if lefton teeth, can cause caries (holes).

HOW DOES IT WORK?
✓✓ Split the class into groups of four or five, or however you
find it easiest to manage. In turn, ask each group to cometo the front.
✓✓ Their challenge is to demonstrate brushing using theproper technique. If you choose to run the activity without
a toothbrush, they can pretend to be using one instead.
For the purposes of this activity, don’t use toothpaste. But
highlight the importance of using a fluoride toothpaste toclean and protect teeth.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

15 TEACHER GUIDEI'm a toothbrush!
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s tips (slide 32)
I’m a toothbrush!
Change your toothbrush often

WORKSHEETVIDEO

TO START, show children a new toothbrush.
IN PAIRS, ask them to imagine an alien has come to visit who
has never seen a toothbrush before. How would they describe
the toothbrush to the alien? Provide prompts (if necessary),
especially to younger children. What is it used for? How does
the handle help? What are the bristles for? What happens if you
don’t use it? Do you keep the same toothbrush for life?
HAND OUT the ‘I'm a toothbrush!’ worksheet to capture
their descriptions.
ASK children to share their descriptions with the class.
Reinforce the correct ones.
✓✓ A toothbrush is used to clean our teeth to help keepthem healthy.
✓✓ The handle allows us to reach all parts of our mouth.
✓✓ The bristles are very important. We squeeze toothpaste
on to the bristles and brush the germs off our teeth.
✓✓ If we don’t brush the germs away, we can get tooth decay
and holes in our teeth.
EXPLORE children’s thoughts on how long they think the same
toothbrush can be used. Do any think they can keep one for avery long time?

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLSPLAY the ‘Change
your toothbrush
often’ video. Whatis Toothie’s tip in thevideo? The answer
is to change yourtoothbrush every
three months. Askthem to record it on
their worksheet.
TO CONCLUDE,
and to reinforce
the advice, show
the picture in thepresentation of anold, used toothbrush
and a new one.
How are the bristles
different? Whichtoothbrush willclean teeth better?
The answer is thenew one.

16 TEACHER GUIDE

Toothie's toothpaste
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCE

TITLE

WORKSHEET

Toothie’s toothpaste
The size of a pea fits to a T

VIDEO

TO START, play The size of a pea fits to a T video. Askchildren to explain Toothie’s tip from the video, i.e. use a peasized dab of toothpaste to clean your teeth.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY: If you have computer aided
design (CAD) software, children can use it to create their
toothpaste box.

EXPLAIN that they are going to investigate why toothpaste isimportant and then design their own!

TO CONCLUDE, ask children to come to the front of the classand promote their new toothpaste!

SHOW children a range of toothpaste packaging. Please
ensure they are all fluoride-based toothpastes.
ASK: What does the packaging say? What key messages
appear on them? Why is toothpaste important? Encouragethem to record the information, e.g. strong teeth,caries protection.
CHALLENGE: Can they find the important ingredient in
toothpaste that helps protect and strengthen teeth?
EXPLAIN that a fluoride toothpaste is very important. Fluoride
helps to protect the teeth from acid which forms in our mouthand causes tooth decay.
HAND OUT the ‘Toothie’s toothpaste’ worksheet. It includes
a template of a toothpaste box for children to design theirown toothpaste; an opportunity to demonstrate what they
have learned.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

17 TEACHER GUIDE,
Section 3 Toothie s treats
This section is about the benefits ofchoosing healthy foods and drinks overones high in sugar.
Learning objectives✓✓ Identify healthy choices.
✓✓ Investigate, record and understand what happens if we
don’t make healthy choices.
✓✓ Understand how too much sugar can cause tooth decay.
✓✓ Know that we can make sensible choices to prevent
tooth decay.

Background notes
Consumption of sugary foods and drinks on a regular basis is thenumber one cause of tooth decay. Free sugars are the main problem.
This refers to sugars that are added to foods and drinks and thosenaturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates.
It does not refer to sugar that is naturally present in whole fruits,
vegetables and milk.
Confectionery, cakes, biscuits, sweetened cereals, sweet desserts, andjams/preserves are common sources of free sugars as are sugary drinks(e.g. soda, fruit juices, energy and sports drinks).
Tooth decay is preventable, yet it is the most common childhood
disease. Tooth loss or pain due to tooth decay can stop children fromenjoying a healthy diet and can impact their daily required intake ofnutrients. A varied, wholesome diet which includes fruit and vegetables
is an important part of maintaining a healthy mouth and a healthy body.
Therefore, it is important to encourage children to make healthy choices
and limit their sugar intake – especially from snacking in-between meals.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

What would Toothie choose?
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s treats (slides 3–8)
Avoid sugary snacks

VIDEO

TO START, ask children to share some of the foods and drinks
they like, and those they don’t like, with the rest of the class.
You could capture their choices on the board.
SHOW a selection of healthy and unhealthy snacks and drinks
using the pictures in the presentation. Ask children to decide
which are healthy, and which ones are bad for us if eaten all
the time.
PLAY the ‘Avoid sugary snacks’ video.
ASK: What snacks did Toothie choose?
DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE REASONS why too much sugar
is bad for our teeth. Encourage children to share their ideas
before using the presentation slides to explain that:✓✓ A build-up of germs (bacteria) in our mouth leads to the
production of plaque.
✓✓ Plaque is a clear and sticky substance that forms on ourteeth and gums.
✓✓ When we eat and drink sugary things, the plaque feeds on
the sugars to make acids.
✓✓ The acid attacks our healthy teeth.
✓✓ This can lead to tooth decay and holes in our teeth.
TO CONCLUDE, revisit the foods that children said they liked
and didn’t like at the start of the activity. Are there any foods
children like that they should eat less of moving forward? Are
there any foods they don’t like that are bad for them anyway?
Are there some healthy foods they dislike? What could be goodalternatives for these?

18 TEACHER GUIDE

Toothie's tasty lunchbox

Don't hide “Sugar”!

ACTIVITY NOTESACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

RESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s treats (slide 10)
Toothie’s tasty lunchbox
Avoid sugary snacks

VIDEO

Avoid sugary snacks

WORKSHEETVIDEO

TO START, play the ‘Avoid sugary snacks’ video.

TO START, play the ‘Avoid sugary snacks’ video.

EXPLAIN to the class that eating too much sugar is not goodfor our mouth or body.

ASK children what Toothie is explaining in the video. Write
Toothie’s message on the board, i.e. to avoid sugary snacks,
and to choose healthy foods and drinks instead.

ASK children if they know the limit, in teaspoons, of how muchsugar they should have each day. The recommendation is a
maximum of 3 teaspoons daily (12g).

HAND OUT the ‘Toothie's tasty lunchbox’ worksheet. Askchildren to prepare a healthy lunch – one that Toothie would
approve of and enjoy too! There are spaces on the worksheet
for children to draw and describe their choices.

SET THE TASK: Explain that sugar is sneaky and likes to hide.
Often it is hiding so well, we don’t even realise how much of it
we are eating. Their job is to find where the sugar is hiding andto expose sugar!

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY: Alternatively, children could use
computers for this activity. They search for foods and drinks
online and insert them into the lunchbox provided in thepresentation slides.

FLEXIBLE DELIVERY: You can bring in various food anddrinks’ packaging for children to explore, e.g. sugary cereals,
cakes, biscuits, jams, fruit juice, soda. Alternatively, children canresearch products online. What do the labels say? What do thelabels mean?

TO CONCLUDE,
ask children tocome to the frontof the class toshow everyone
what’s insidetheir lunchbox,
and to explain
the choices they
made.

CONVERT the grams of sugar into teaspoons together,or children can do the calculations independently as amathematics exercise.
DEMONSTRATE how much sugar there really is in someproducts by weighing it out for children to see.
TO CONCLUDE, children interpret what they have uncovered
in a fun way by producing a short story or comic. The title ofthe story is, ‘Sugar versus Toothie: The final battle!’ For further
support, you can provide the opening words too, e.g. ‘For years,
Sugar was in hiding. It plotted and planned...’ To simplify the task
for younger children, ask them to design a cover for the book.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS

19 TEACHER GUIDE

Toothie's plaque attack experiment!
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie’s treats (slides 12–14)
Toothie’s plaque attack experiment
Happy teeth

WORKSHEETWORKSHEET

BEFORE YOU START, check children have no food allergies
as they will be handling eggs as part of the experiment.
EXPERIMENT CHECKLIST✓✓ Hard-boiled eggs✓✓ Clear vinegar✓✓ Plastic cups or screw-top jars
TO START, ask children: Do they know what hard substancecovers our teeth? Explain that it is called enamel and it is thehardest substance in our body.
THE INVESTIGATION: Explain that the class will be taking partin an experiment to find out, ‘What is the effect of sugar andacid on our enamel?’
WHY EGGS? The eggs serve as a model for teeth. Eggshells,
like enamel, protect the softer parts inside.
WHY VINEGAR? The vinegar represents acid in our mouth.
Use the slides in the presentation to explain how acid forms in
our mouth:✓✓ A build-up of germs (bacteria) in our mouth leads to the
production of plaque.
✓✓ Plaque is a clear and sticky substance that forms on ourteeth and gums.
✓✓ When we eat and drink sugary things, the plaque feeds on
the sugars to make acids.

HAND OUT the ‘Toothie's plaque attack experiment’worksheet. Children use this to record what they did andthe results.
THE EXPERIMENT:✓✓ Place the egg in a clear cup or screw-top jar.
✓✓ Cover the egg completely in vinegar.
✓✓ Use a ‘control’ egg too. Cover that with water.
✓✓ Let the eggs sit for three days.
THE RESULTS: Ask the class to describe how the eggs lookand feel. The eggshell in the vinegar will have dissolved. The
acidic vinegar breaks down the eggshell just as the acid doesto the enamel. The egg in the water will not change.
FURTHER EXPERIMENTS:✓✓ As an extension or follow-up, you can repeat the experiment using
different drinks including light and dark-coloured sodas, fruit juice
and water. For greater impact, leave the eggs in the liquids forlonger, e.g. five days.

✓✓ The purpose of the test is to find out, ‘What is the healthiest liquid
we can drink?’✓✓ The results (to expect): Water will not breakdown our teeth andis the healthiest drink. The fruit juice and light-coloured soda willcause some softening to the outer shell, and the dark soda will
discolour it. Other than water, each liquid has the potential to cause
tooth decay if consumed on a regular basis.

TO CONCLUDE, talk about how different foods and drinks canbreak down the enamel on teeth and the importance of making
healthy choices. Children make a pledge to do something thatthey are not doing already to help keep their mouth healthy.
They can write their pledges on the worksheet provided –‘Happy Teeth’ – and you could display them as a reminder.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 20 TEACHER GUIDESection 4
Toothie goes on a trip

Dentist role play
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie goes on a trip (slides 3–9)
Advice for a healthy mouth
Patient record
Visit the dentist every year

WORKSHEETThis section focuses on a visit to the dentist– what it’s like and why we need to go.

WORKSHEETVIDEO

TO START, play the ‘Visit the dentist every year’ video.

Learning objectives✓✓ Know what happens when we visit the dentist.
✓✓ Understand how the dentist helps us.
✓✓ Understand why it is important to visit thedentist regularly.

EXPLAIN to children that they will be taking part in a dentist’srole play.
FLEXIBLE DELIVERY: Run this activity in a way that best suits
you and your classroom set-up.
RESOURCES: We have provided a variety of resources tosupport the role play activity.

Background notes

In the presentation you will find:

Regular dental check-ups are important to keep teeth and gums
healthy. The dentist will count children’s teeth, check they are
growing properly and make sure they are clean and healthy. If
necessary, they will also remove any build-up of plaque, which
if not managed, can lead to tooth decay. Severe gum disease
and untreated tooth decay in the primary teeth is among the top
10 most prevalent conditions. A regular visit to the dentist cancontribute to a lifetime of good overall health and well-being.
It is important not to worry children about visiting the dentist but tohighlight the importance of how it keeps them healthy.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS✓✓ Printouts for your classroom wall and role play area
promoting important oral care messages.
The following worksheets are also available:✓✓ A set of cards that can be used by budding dentists tooffer advice.
✓✓ A ‘Patient record’ worksheet to write notes about thecheck-up, e.g. how many times does the patient brusheach day, is the patient brushing their teeth correctly, does
the patient avoid sugary snacks.
TO CONCLUDE, ask children to write about their experienceof visiting (or being) the dentist.

21 TEACHER GUIDELet's talk about the dentist
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie goes on a trip (slide 11)
Visit the dentist every year

VIDEO

TO START, ask children to write down everything they alreadyknow about visiting the dentist. They create a mind map using
the format provided in the presentation.
PROVIDE PROMPTS: When was the last time they visited adentist? What is their dentist’s name? Why should you go to thedentist? When should you go? What happens at the dentist?
PLAY the ‘Visit the dentist every year’ video.
ASK: What happened in Toothie’s visit? Encourage children
to include as much detail as possible. You can pause certain
frames to help them see that Toothie:✓✓ sat in the dentist’s chair.
✓✓ was greeted by the smiley dentist.
✓✓ had a wide-opened mouth for the check-up by the dentist.
✓✓ let the dentist check the teeth with a little mirror.
✓✓ returned a year later for another check-up.
✓✓ is happy that a visit to the dentist helped to keep a healthy
mouth and smile.
ASK children to revisit their mind maps. What did they know at
the start? What do they know now? They should add any new
information to their mind maps.
DISCUSS when you should visit the dentist. Some children
may think it is only when you have a problem with your teeth.
What was Toothie’s advice?

REINFORCE the importance of visiting the dentist regularly –at least once a year. The dentist will count their teeth, checkthey are growing correctly, provide advice, look for caries(holes) and treat problems to avoid further damage. Overall,dentists help to keep the teeth and mouth healthy.
FURTHER ACTIVITIES:✓✓ Children create a poster to encourage others to visit thedentist regularly.
✓✓ Alternatively, you can appeal to children’s more playful
side and ask them to write/type a newspaper article
or present a TV report that starts with the headline,‘The child who never visited the dentist.’

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 22 TEACHER GUIDEAn interview with a dentist

The voice of Toothie!

ACTIVITY NOTESACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

RESOURCE

TITLE

VIDEO

Visit the dentist every year

PRESENTATION

Toothie goes on a trip (slides 13–17)
Give Toothie a voice!
Visit the dentist every year

WORKSHEET

BEFORE YOU START, get in touch with your National Dental
Association. They may help arrange for a dentist (or oral healthexpert) to visit your school. You can find your local contact
here: www.fdiworlddental.org/members. If there is no local
contact available in your country, consider inviting a dentist
directly. There may even be a parent from your school who isa dentist!
TO START, play the ‘Visit the dentist every year’ video.
EXPLAIN to children that a dentist is visiting your school.
ASK children to prepare questions to ask the dentist. For
example: Do they like being a dentist? What equipment do theyuse? How important is it to visit the dentist?
TO CONCLUDE, ask children to write up their interview withthe dentist.

VIDEO

TO START, play the ‘Visit the dentist every year’ video.
SET THE TASK: Children need to write a script or voice-overfor the video. They must give Toothie a voice!
HAND OUT the ‘Give Toothie a voice!’ worksheet. It
contains a number of frames from the video to support the task.
The frames have been included in the presentation too so you
can deliver the activity in a way that suits you.
RECORD THE VOICE-OVER: A great way for children to havefun and remember the message.
TO CONCLUDE, play the video again and listen to thechildren’s voice-overs!

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 23 TEACHER GUIDEThe BIG Toothie quiz
ACTIVITY NOTESRESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie goes on a trip (slides 18–29)

TO START, explain to the children that dentists know
everything about teeth! That’s why it is so important to visit thedentist regularly. Dentists will help keep their smile healthy.
WHAT DO THEY KNOW ABOUT TEETH? Explain that they
will be taking part in The BIG Toothie quiz!
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS are included in thepresentation and have been taken from all sections of the
Mouth Heroes learning journey. Therefore, consider running
this quiz as a conclusion to your oral-care work.
FLEXIBLE DELIVERY: Children can work in teams orindividually, noting down answers until the end. Alternatively,
you can ask for answers as you run through the quiz.
TO CONCLUDE, share the results of the quiz. Who are thechampions of The BIG Toothie quiz?

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 24 TEACHER GUIDESection 5 Toothie on tour

Hold an assembly
ASSEMBLY NOTESINTRODUCE THE THEME OF THE ASSEMBLY

This section provides ideas on how to‘spread the word’ by sharing key oral healthmessages with the whole school as well as
parents and caregivers.
Objective✓✓ Get everyone in your school community to practice goodoral care.

Ask children if they can guess the theme of the assembly fromthe following clues. What am I?
✓✓ I am an important part of your body.
✓✓ I am covered with something very strong. In fact, it is thestrongest thing in your body.
✓✓ You get two sets of me in a lifetime.
✓✓ Sugar is really bad for me.
✓✓ You need to keep me clean and healthy because I help
you eat, smile and talk.
Add some more clues of your own if children take longer toguess correctly.

Hold an assembly

WATCH THE MOUTH HEROES VIDEOS

Why don’t you hold an assembly for the whole school? You could
hold it anytime or on or around 20 March to celebrate World
Oral Health Day, which promotes good oral health for everyone(www.worldoralhealthday.org). We’ve provided a script for you to
use and a presentation with a fun quiz.

Once children have guessed the theme, explain that they aregoing to watch some short, fun, cartoon-style videos. Toothie,
the star of the videos, is going to share important tips for taking
care of teeth.

RESOURCETITLE

PRESENTATION

Toothie on tour assembly
Brush your teeth twice a day
The size of a pea fits to a T
The proper brushing technique
Change your toothbrush often
No snacking after night brushing
Visit the dentist every year
Avoid sugary snacks

VIDEOS

Play the videos. After each video, ask children: What was
Toothie’s tip?
Reinforce each of Toothie’s tips using the presentation slides.
These provide additional advice and help children understandthe consequences of not caring for their teeth.
TIME FOR REFLECTION
Explain that a healthy mouth is important for a healthy body.
An unhealthy mouth makes it difficult for us to do the things
that we take for granted, like eating and talking.
Give children a moment to think about Toothie’s oral caremessages and what they can do differently for a healthy mouth.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 25 TEACHER GUIDEInvolving parents/caregivers
It is really important that parents/caregivers help children practice
good oral care. After all, it is in the home that children will clean
and care for their teeth, and it is their parents/caregivers who areultimately responsible for scheduling regular dental check-ups
for them.

Encourage children to shareschoolwork with parents/
caregivers

We have offered ideas throughout this guide on how you might
support and involve parents/caregivers in their child’s oral-carework. To make it easy, we have pulled out the main ones again
below and have added a new one at the end that showcases thechildren’s efforts.

Send their teeth-linked work home to talk through with their families.
We have provided lesson activities that specifically help with this too.

Checklist with tips
We have included a helpful checklist for parents/caregivers. It
gives them all the information they need to support children topractice good oral care and establish long-lasting habits. Why not
circulate this at the start of, or during your Mouth Heroes work.

Mouth Heroes diary
As part of their work in Section 2, children are encouraged tocomplete a toothbrushing diary (p. 14), and parents/caregivers are
urged to become their brushing Monitors and Helpers.

✓✓ Children design a poster for their home that showcase’s
Toothie’s tips on how to care for teeth (p. 14).
✓✓ Children write stories, a Toothie adventure that promotes
good oral care (p. 14 and 19). Encourage them to read thestories with their parents/caregivers.
✓✓ Children make a pledge to do something they are not doingalready to keep their mouth healthy (p. 20). What role canparents/caregivers play to help them achieve it?

Certificate
Award children a certificate in recognition of their Mouth Heroes
work. It’s something for them to be proud of and share with theirparents/caregivers. We have designed one for you to hand out.

Toothie exhibition
Display the children’s work and invite parents to come and see
it. This guide is packed with ideas for both design-led work andcreative writing.

MOUTH HEROES FOR SCHOOLS 26 TEACHER GUIDE

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