Bendigo Community Health Services is using a Smiles 4 Miles initiative to battle alarming rates of tooth decay in children from ‘high risk’ areas across the City of Greater Bendigo. 

The Dental Health Services Victoria funded program was developed to tackle poor oral health in the state. 

BCHS Smiles 4 Miles co-ordinator Leah Wastell said three simple messages were used to educate children on oral health and tooth decay – drink well, eat well, clean well. 

“We promote drinking tap water and limiting sugary drinks, eating nutritious food and limiting added sugars and brushing teeth twice a day,” Leah said. 

“Smiles 4 Miles also raises awareness that it’s important children visit a health professional by the age of two for an oral health check.” 

Leah wants parents and carers to understand good oral health was essential for the overall health and wellbeing of children.

“Oral diseases like tooth decay can cause a lot of pain and discomfort which impacts heavily on a child’s quality of life," Leah said. 

“Research shows around 50 per cent of six-year old children in Australia experience tooth decay. The message we need to get out is that with the right care we can stop this happening.” 

Leah said BCHS was working with early childhood services in the City of Greater Bendigo to raise awareness with two receiving Smiles 4 Miles awards for their oral health work. 

“Heathcote Kindergarten Shine Bright and Marong Kindergarten Shine Bright have been fantastic in their work around oral health and fighting tooth decay. It’s really encouraging,” Leah said.

“Smiles 4 Miles has supported 96 children at Marong Kindergarten and 35 children at Heathcote Kindergarten which is really important given these areas have been identified as high risk based on Dental Health Services Victoria figures.” 

Heathcote Kindergarten – Shine Bright educational leader Carly Gardner said Smiles 4 Miles had allowed the early childhood centre to support families. 

“Dental health and healthy eating are common hurdles we face every year so we decided to join the Smiles 4 Miles program as a way for our kinder to receive outside help in finding resources that would help our families gain a healthy lifestyle,” Carly said. 

Carly said Smiles 4 Miles resources such as toothpaste, brushes and healthy eating tips had been a huge benefit to the kinder. 

“We cook the monthly recipes and provide families with a copy to take home. We’ve had families cook the recipes from the Smiles 4 Miles resource folder and their children have brought them into kinder in their lunch boxes," Carly said.

“Smiles 4 Miles helped us kick off a healthy fruit and vegetable afternoon tea that we now run each day. 

“Smiles 4 Miles has given us the resources and support to help families with dental health and the ability to refer them to the right location for further help if they need it.” 

Carly said the support from Bendigo Community Health Services had been 'very helpful' and having dental health students visit the kindergarten was a bonus. 

If your early learning centre or school would like to get involved in Smiles 4 Miles please call our BCHS co-ordinator Leah Wastell on 5406 1200.