1. Improving Oral Health NHS Ayrshire and Arran Oral Health Quiz
for children age 9-11
What is Oral Health? It’s not just about looking after your teeth but the whole of your mouth – the tongue, cheeks, lips, gums, etc. It’s especially important to look after your gums as these support your teeth.

2. Why are teeth important?
Question 1
Why are teeth important?
a. To help us chew and digest food
b. To help us to talk
To give our face shape and a
healthy smile
All of the above
Answer – d. All of the above
It is important to look after our teeth in order to keep them as healthy as possible for as long as possible. After all prevention is always better and easier than cure.

3. Answer – d. All of the above Fruit Vegetable Plain popcorn
Question 2
What if I was hungry in between meals, what could I have to eat that is tooth friendly?
Answer – d. All of the above
Fruit
Vegetable
Plain popcorn
All of the above
The answer is all of the above. Plain popcorn – not covered in toffee or sweet versions - can be a healthy snack option as well as fresh fruit (tinned fruit can be used however avoid the juice - particularly the fruit in syrup). Another healthy option is raw vegetables such as carrot sticks.

4. Question 3 What is plaque?
It’s a sticky film of bacteria which constantly
forms on our teeth
It’s something you hang on your wall
It’s a large mammal which lives in the sea
Plaque is the clinical term for
‘bad breath’
Answer – a. It’s a sticky film of bacteria
Plaque is constantly reforming in our mouth so it is important to clean our teeth regularly.

5. Question 4 How can I remove plaque from my teeth?
By brushing twice a day for 2 minutes
By brushing once a day for 10 minutes
By forgetting to brush before I go to bed
You can’t remove plaque from your teeth
Answer -
a. By brushing twice a day for 2 minutes
It takes around 2 minutes to clean every surface of every tooth. Remember you need to clean the outside, inside and biting surfaces.

6. What is the most effective way to brush your teeth?
Question 5
What is the most effective way to brush your teeth?
Up and down movements
Side to side movements
In a circular motion
Scrub as hard as you can
There is no right way to effectively brush your teeth. However it is thought that a circular motion is easier and can clean the whole surface of the tooth as well as along the gum line using this method.
Answer – c. In a circular motion

7. True True OR False Question 6
After toothbrushing I spit out my toothpaste but do not rinse my mouth?
True OR False
True
True
Spit Don’t Rinse - spitting leaves a residue of toothpaste on the teeth to allow the fluoride to remain and protect the teeth for a little longer.
Fluoride is a natural mineral and is used in toothpaste as this helps to strengthen and protect our tooth enamel.

8. How long should we spend on brushing our teeth?
Question 7
How long should we spend on brushing our teeth?
Answer – c. 2 minutes
4 minutes
40 seconds
2 minutes
24 hours
The recommendation is 2 minutes twice a day. Although most people toothbrush on average for around 40 seconds. Try timing yourself. Most songs last two minutes, why not pick your favourite and brush to the music.

9. What is the proper name for
Question 8
What is the proper name for
gum disease?
Disease of the mouth
Diseased pink gums
Bright red gums
Gingivitis
Answer – d. Gingivitis
Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease and can be reversed by improving oral health care and dental treatment if required. If this is not dealt with this can develop into Periodontitis which is advanced gum disease and this is irreversible and can lead to tooth loss.

10. What is the strongest thing in our body?
Question 9
What is the strongest thing in our body?
Enamel
Eyes
Hair
Toe nails
Enamel is the white glossy surface on your teeth and protects your teeth from acid attacks. If your enamel is destroyed, your body does not make more to replace it. A hole or cavity can form and lead to pain and infection.
You can protect your enamel by avoiding sugary foods and drinks which can cause a lot of damage.
Answer – a. Enamel

11. How often should I visit the dentist?
Question 10
How often should I visit the dentist?
Answer -
a. As often as the dentist recommends
As often as the dentist recommends
Every 3 years
Every month
Whenever you have toothache
People with natural teeth should attend for a regular 6 month dental check up. However some people with particular dental conditions may need to attend more often or during specific periods of treatment.
Your dentist can spot possible dental diseases or conditions as part of your check up that you may not – so it is important to attend regularly.

12. Question 11 What 3 things can lead to tooth decay?
Answer – c. Plaque, sugar and time
Saliva, sugar and sweets
Plaque, milk and water
Plaque, sugar and time
Toothpaste, water and sugar
When plaque mixes with sugar from food and drink this causes an acid attack on our teeth. The more regular we consume sugary food or drinks the more often our teeth are under an acid attack.
We need to be careful not to toothbrush straight after eating something sugary as this brushes the sugar around the mouth and into the teeth. Tooth brushing around 30 minutes or more after having a sugary snack or drink is best to allow the sugar to dissolve.

13. between meals that is tooth friendly?
Question 12
What can I have to drink
between meals that is tooth friendly?
Answer - d. Milk and Water
Milk
Water
Diet Drinks
Milk and Water
Fizzy drinks even if they are sugar free can damage teeth – the carbonation process which creates the bubbles, can cause an acid attack, and if drunk frequently can lead to dental erosion and the wearing down of tooth enamel.

14. What is the best toothbrush to use?
Question 13
What is the best toothbrush to use?
Answer -
a. A small headed toothbrush
A small headed toothbrush
A large headed toothbrush
A toothbrush that plays music
The most expensive toothbrush
A small headed tooth brush makes it easier to clean the mouth and in particular to reach the back teeth. A medium textured bristled toothbrush is best for removing the plaque.

15. d. Keep them only to mealtimes
Question 14
If you like cake, sweets and biscuits
but don’t want tooth decay, what can be done to prevent it?
Answer -
d. Keep them only to mealtimes
Only eat them at snack time
Eat them very quickly
Have them for breakfast
Keep them only to mealtimes
Most people like to eat cakes, sweets and biscuits, however, if we can keep them to mealtimes this can limit the amount of acid attacks caused by the sugar mixing with the plaque in our mouths.

16. Question 15
What toothpaste is recommended as being the most effective at strengthening our teeth?
Between 1300 and 1500 parts per million fluoride
500ppm fluoride
The dog’s toothpaste
No fluoride
Answer -
a. Between 1300 and 1500ppm fluoride
Most toothpastes have details of their fluoride content on the back of the tube. Usually this is in very small writing but most toothpastes should have the recommended amount of fluoride included.

17. Sometimes when I brush my teeth I notice
Question 16
Sometimes when I brush my teeth I notice
my gums start to bleed, what does it mean?
A sign that my gums may be unhealthy
I am a vampire
I need to replace my toothbrush
My gums are healthy
Answer -
a. A sign that my gums may be unhealthy
Sometimes gums can bleed due to not being brushed daily or properly and if there is no improvement in oral care this can lead to Gingivitis - the early stage gum of disease.

18. When should we brush our teeth?
Question 17
When should we brush our teeth?
Morning
After lunch
Morning and before bed
At the weekend
It’s best to brush in the morning and before bed or at least twice a day. It is particularly important before bedtime as we will have been eating and drinking all day and the plaque will have been building up on our teeth throughout the day.
Answer - c. Morning and before bed

19. What are the benefits of fluoride?
Question 18
What are the benefits of fluoride?
Makes cakes taste nice
Strengthens tooth enamel
I can eat whatever I want
Fluoride toothbrushes clean
teeth better
Answer -
b. Strengthens tooth enamel
Fluoride protects our teeth from acid attacks and helps to strengthen tooth enamel therefore fluoride is important for good oral health.

20. Question 19 How much toothpaste do we need to use?
Answer – a. A pea sized amount
A pea sized amount
An onion sized amount
As much as I can get on the brush
Depends on the amount of plaque
A pea sized amount of toothpaste is big enough for a younger child up to an adult. Babies and up to two years would only need a smear.

21. Question 20 What is fluoride?
Answer -
c. A natural mineral found in foods and water
An ingredient used in baking
A type of flower
A natural mineral found in foods
and water
A type of toothbrush
It is important to toothbrush and not to replace tooth brushing with using mouthwash as our toothpaste has a higher level of fluoride and so a higher level of protection. Again it is important to keep the residue of the toothpaste on our teeth for longer and not rinse or mouthwash after we brush our teeth.

22. What to remember Brush teeth well twice a day using
a 1300 – 1500 parts per million fluoride toothpaste
Keep sugary snacks and drinks to mealtimes
Visit your Dentist regularly
These are the 3 key messages for good oral health for everyone and will help you to look after your teeth so that they last you a lifetime.