On November 4th and November 16th, Luigui Community-Based Care Center for Early Intervention held three “Parent Education Seminar for Oral Health Education” in Luigui, Taoyuan, and Maolin Districts. It also invited the dentists at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital to Taoyuan District High School Community Development Association on November 16th to help provide basic oral care education to residents, children with developmental delay and disabilities, and their parents.
photo:Wan-Ju Fu, a dentist at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, provided oral health examinations to young children, demonstrated how to brush their teeth
Wan-Ju Fu, a dentist at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, provided oral health examinations to young children, demonstrated how to brush their teeth correctly, and invited parents to ask questions. Dentists suggested that oral health care needs to start early. As soon as their children’s first tooth appears, parents can start providing toothpaste with fluoride, taking their children to the doctor for regular examinations every 6 months, and helping their children with interdental cleaning every night before sleep. It is essential to foster correct values toward proper tooth brushing since early childhood.
Nuo Nuo, a 4-year-old child with developmental delay, lacked support in areas such as family learning and oral health care because his parents were mostly busy working. This has led to his relative weaknesses in social interaction and oral communication compared to his peers of the same age. However, after being suggested by the speech therapist, Nuo Nuo started to learn about oral health care from school, which extended to learning in general cognition, play, social interaction, and communication and expression. Gradually, Nuo Nuo could start to say single words and words with repeated syllables. He could also engage in group activities with his peers. It appeared that he has improved in many aspects of his learning.
Moreover, the Center also partnered with CTS Components Taiwan to support oral health care in rural areas by providing 500 pairs of toothbrushes and toothpaste. By encouraging replacements each month and replacing the toothbrushes and toothpaste during regular service at the early intervention centers, we hope to help build the habit in families to take care of their oral health together.
