Nutrition and Oral Health - NHS Lanarkshire

1: PREFACE
The nutrition and oral health of young children is fundamental to their
physical, mental, social and educational development and wellbeing. Eating
for Health – A Diet Action Plan for Scotland (1996) and Towards a Healthier
Scotland (1999) identified the need for a combined partnership effort to
address some of the major health issues in Scotland at an early age.
As a result, in 2002, a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary steering group
comprising staff from all the key services worked together to produce this
resource pack on nutrition and oral health for nurseries across Lanarkshire.
Members of the group included those who worked in NHS Lanarkshire, North
Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Early Years
Establishments.
Since then, we have seen the publication of many national policy documents
such as An Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHS
Dental Services in Scotland (2005) and the Nutritional Guidance for Early Years
(2006), the passing of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland)
Act 2007 in the Scottish Parliament, the development of Childsmile, a national
oral health improvement programme for children, the publication of the Early
Years Framework (2008) and the roll-out of our new national curriculum, A
Curriculum for Excellence (2009).
In 2009, key agencies of the original steering group reconvened to update this
resource. The aims remain the same; to work together to lay the foundations
for lifelong healthy habits at an early stage of development.
This pack gives updated factual information on a range of issues relating to
healthy eating and oral health and provides practical advice for incorporating
food into the formal and informal curriculum.
Strategy into Practice in the Early Years
Preface 3