Fernhill Preschool shining bright after earning Smiles 4 Miles award

Children at Fernhill Preschool, in the Victorian community of Mount Evelyn, are full of (bright and healthy!) smiles after becoming the latest learning community to be given a Smiles 4 Miles award for completing an oral health promotion program designed by Dental Health Services Victoria and run by Inspiro.

As they completed the program educators, children and families banded together to make sure their learning community was one which promoted healthy eating, drinking water and looking after children’s teeth.

Inspiro’s dental service also attended Fernhill Preschool to provide dental screenings for children, so that any problems could be picked up early.

Early intervention is critical when it comes to dental issues, Inspiro health promotion officer Kristen Gurney said when speaking with local news source Star Mail.

“Baby teeth are really important because they are needed for eating a wide variety of foods, are critical for speech development, hold space for the permanent teeth and help to guide them into position,” she said.

“Every child is at risk of tooth decay. However, drinking water, eating healthy foods and regular tooth brushing can remove the plaque and prevent decay from occurring.”

Children engaged with fun learning activities to encourage them to form good oral health habits early, while families were provided with information and resources to support them at home in creating healthy lunchboxes and brushing their child’s teeth morning and night.

Smiles 4 Miles is offered in 30 preschools and long day care services across the Yarra Ranges, combatting the misconception that baby teeth don’t matter. 

“We find that many parents simply aren’t aware of the importance of looking after their child’s teeth and may believe that as their baby teeth fall out, they don’t need to worry too much about them,” she explained. 

The popular program also aims to address the myth that dental checks, and any subsequent work, can be prohibitively expensive. 

“Cost can be another barrier to accessing dental checks and so it is important that parents are aware that all children can access free or low cost dental care via their local public dental service – like the one we have at Inspiro,” Ms Gurney said, recommending that dental checks commence from two years of age, with either a dentist, maternal and child health nurse or doctor.

Learn more about Smiles 4 Miles here. Find the original coverage of this story here.