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                                                        DR. DAN PETERSON
                                                                      1415 SAGE STREET ~ GERING, NEBRASKA 69341 
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DENTAL ORAL HEALTH AFFECTS LEARNING

Poor dental health affects a child's ability to learn

An estimated 51 million school hours per year are lost because of dental-related illness.

Children from families with low incomes had nearly 12 times as many missed school days because of dental problems .

Early tooth loss caused by dental decay can result in:

bulletfailure to thrive
bulletimpaired speech development
bulletabsence from school
bulletinability to concentrate in school 
bulletreduced self-esteem

Children who take a test while they have a toothache are unlikely to score as well as children who are undistracted by pain.

Poor oral health has been related to:

bulletdecreased school performance
bulletpoor social relationships
bulletless success later in life
bulletpoor concentration in school

Children with chronic dental pain are:

bulletunable to focus
bulleteasily distracted
bullethaving problems with school work completion
bulletpoor school performance which negatively impacts their self esteem

Left untreated, the pain and infection caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in:

bulleteating
bulletnutritional status
bullethealth
bulletmoods
bulletspeaking
bulletlearning
bulletschool attendance
bulletself esteem

 

Toothaches and infections can interfer with your child's ability to learn

When children's dental problems are treated and they are not experiencing pain, their learning and school attendance records improve.

If chewing abilities are affected by dental decay and pain their food choices are limited resulting in inadequate diets which affect their:

bullet readiness for school
bullet ability to concentrate
bullet ability to complete complex tasks
bullet behavior.

Source: National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

February 06, 2008

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          If you have any questions please e-mail me at: drdpeterson@scottsbluff.net
                                                                                 308-436-3491 Office number

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained herein is intended for educational purposes only.  It is not intended and should not be construed as the delivery of dental/medical care and is not a substitute for personal hands on dental/medical attention, diagnosis or treatment.  Persons requiring diagnosis, treatment, or with specific questions are urged to contact your family dental/health care provider for appropriate care.
This site is privately and personally sponsored, funded and supported by Dr. Peterson.  We have no outside funding.
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