Food and Nutrition Guidelines - Barnsley Council Online

9. Oral health
• Children aged 3-6 years should use a
pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing
1,350 - 1,500ppm fluoride.
• Fluoride drops maybe useful for children
to help tackle dental caries. They can be
prescribed by a dentist/ GP and fluoride
tablets are available over the counter. It is
recognised that the use of fluoride tablets
requires compliance by families and this may
include under and over use. There is a risk
of fluorosis if children under 6 years take
over the advised dose. Tablets are available
in 500g and 1mg fluoride levels (ask your
dentist or pharmacist for more information).
Healthy Eating
• The main cause of tooth decay is not only the
amount of sugar in the diet, but how often it
is eaten or drunk. The more often your child
has sugary foods or drinks, the more likely
they are to have tooth decay.
• It is recommended that sugary foods and
drinks are consumed only at mealtimes
and not more than 4 times a day. The
following are all forms of sugar and can
increase the risk of tooth decay: sucrose,
glucose, dextrose, maltose, fructose, honey,
molasses, brown sugar, raw cane sugar
and Demerara (if these are found in the
ingredients list of the product restrict to
meal times only).
• Try checking the list of ingredients: the
higher up the list sugar is, the more there is
in the product
Tasty snack and drink ideas, to keep teeth
healthy:
• Bread - wholemeal, baps, pitta bread, toast,
chapattis, crumpets.
• Bread sticks, crackers, rice cakes, melba
toast.
• Cheese and cold meats.
• Pieces of fruit.
• Vegetable pieces.
• Savoury sandwiches, pizza pieces,
sweetcorn, homemade unsweetened
popcorn, baked potato pieces.
• To help prevent tooth decay try giving your
child water to quench thirst instead of fizzy
drinks and fruit drinks, as they are very acidic
and can contain lots of sugar.
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