Oral Health Month: Do Parents Rely on a Culture of Reward?
A few days ago, I mentioned about the Colgate event I attended: Celebrate Oral Health Month with Colgate including “Seven Steps for a Bright Smile”.
Luckily little man enjoys brushing his teeth and going to the dentist, but I am aware that not all mums are as lucky as me. Since he tried Colgate’s Kids range, he has been enjoying brushing his teeth even more, so he was pleased when I arrived home with new Colgate toothbrushes and toothpastes.
We all know how hard it can be to always get kids to do as you ask but a nationwide survey of parents reveals that almost two out of three mums and dads resort to rewarding their children in return for behaving properly and doing simple tasks– even brushing their teeth!
The survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 1-10, commissioned to mark Colgate’s Oral Health Month, an annual initiative designed to raise awareness of oral health across the entire country, showed that nearly one in ten parents reward their children for cleaning their teeth. This statistic was matched by getting ready for school on time and being well behaved at a friend’s house, while one in five give rewards for eating all their dinner and almost two in ten parents reward children for tidying their room.
The Colgate survey revealed that almost 1 in 3 parents used incentives varying from chocolate and sweets to more positive and inventive motivational methods, such as creating sticker charts. One in five parents even make teeth brushing routines more fun by singing a special tooth-brushing song.
Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire Dr Karen J Pine comments: “Reasoning with children to do as they’re told can be difficult especially when they do not understand the ‘why’ factor, but using sweets and chocolate as rewards doesn’t always teach children the right behaviour and is also bad for their teeth. That’s why it’s great to see a significant number of parents using more inventive and beneficial reward systems for teeth cleaning, such as sticker charts, to encourage positive habits in children.”
Most parents will sympathise with their peers when learning that four and five year olds appear to be the most difficult to motivate to get valuable tasks done, with 77% of parents of four year olds using a reward system to get them to do as they’re told and 37% of parents of five-year olds saying that they have, on occasion, let their children go to bed before they have brushed their teeth in order to avoid a fight, compared with only 21% of parents of eight-year olds.
The Colgate survey also highlighted that children are consuming sugary foods on a regular basis, with 25% drinking fizzy drinks at least once a day and 33% of children eating chocolate every day. Given that 40% of parents surveyed believe children’s milk teeth are less important than adult teeth, and only 34% admit to supervising the brushing of their children’s teeth for the dentist recommended 2 minutes, it is not surprising that the survey went on to reveal that by the age of 10, 25% of children have had at least one filling.
Bath based Dental Practitioner, Dr Simon Khoury (BDS), of Northway Dental Practice comments, “There is clearly still some uncertainty about the importance of children’s milk teeth and parents risk neglecting their young child’s oral health needs. Kid’s teeth do matter. Before they fall out, children are going to need healthy milk teeth to eat well, to have confidence smiling and speaking and to avoid the pain that can be caused by things such as tooth decay or infection. Regularly visiting a dentist should enable effective prevention of problems. This is always going to be easier than trying to solve problems after they have occurred. Making tooth brushing and good oral hygiene a part of your child’s daily routine ensures that they are set for a healthy future, without dental problems.”
Dr Khoury, continued, “While overall oral health is improving, there are pockets of increased incidences of cavities or tooth decay amongst young children in the UK. Many parents don’t realise that oral health at the age of 12 is a strong predictor of oral health in adult life, so it’s important that parents are doing everything they can, including positive reinforcement when brushing teeth, to ensure good oral health in their children.”
Colgate Oral Health Month takes place every September and aims to provide people around the country with useful information to increase awareness, understanding, and positive behaviour towards oral health. Visit www.colgate.co.uk/oralhealthmonth this month for additional information, including having all your questions answered by our dental team and video interviews with tips and advice about children’s oral health from a panel of experts, including renowned psychologist Dr Karen J Pine, registered dietician Nigel Denby, and dental practitioner Dr Simon Khoury.