Are healthy teeth the hidden key to student success?

We all want our children to be the happiest and healthiest. Whether they’re developing social and emotional skills, learning new sports, or getting to know world geography; there’s a lot going on at school to exercise their intellectual muscle and grow them to new heights.

But what if you cannot concentrate at school because you have a toothache? What’s the link between oral health and academic achievement at school? Is it as straightforward as we might think, that a healthy child makes for a better student?

With oral health, the most direct link is in the physical dimension: when our teeth are well-taken care of, we are not missing school because of a toothache.

Many parents think baby teeth eventually fall out so tooth decay on baby teeth don’t have to be taken care of. In as much as some baby teeth change over at around 6-8 years old, a majority of them stay in a child’s mouth until 12-13 years old. Unattended tooth decay can lead to severe infection, including facial and airway swelling which can lead to extended hospital stay with IV antibiotics administration.

In fact, children with untreated dental problems may experience significant weight loss due to the pain and reluctance to eat. Nutritional deficiencies during childhood can have a lasting impact on cognitive development. Notably, rampant caries stands out as a key contributor to inadequate growth and development in children who do not face other medical challenges.

From the holistic health point of view, researchers have been exploring the multifaceted nature of health with various studies exploring how these facets interact with each other. The theory of holistic health takes into account five core dimensions: social, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. These are all interlinked and have an impact on our general wellbeing.

Dental health also contributes a significant part to our holistic health, like our mental and emotional wellness.

For instance, children who have excellent oral health feel more confident in their smiles and make them more socially engaging. Children with healthy smiles can focus on the “bigger picture” in their day-to-day, like making friends or grasping arithmetic concepts in the classroom. One specific study from the Journal of Public Health Dentistry found that kids with poor health were 2.3 times more likely to be performing poorly in school, and that improving your child’s oral care can be an effective way to improve their overall education.

Meanwhile, Neglected health issues like dental pain stand as a primary contributor to chronic absenteeism, with children experiencing oral health problems being 3 times more prone to missing school compared to their peers. Reports issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics have highlighted that chronic school absence serves as a more accurate indicator of potential school failure than standardized test scores.

There is no dispute that pristine dental health is a prerequisite for academic success for children. Regular dental exams play an important role in preventing issues like gum disease or other oral health complications. Unrecognized disease and postponed care can result in exacerbated problems, which lead to more extensive and costly treatment needs. Don’t underestimate how good oral health can boost your child’s grades!

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