When Children’s Oral Health Suffers,  so does their Ability to Learn

“What amounts to a silent epidemic of dental and oral diseases is affecting some population groups. This burden of disease restricts activities in schools,
work, and home, and often significantly diminishes the quality of life.”
... Surgeon General David Satcher, (retired) Ph.D., M.D.

Oral Health and Learning

• As specialists in pediatric dentistry, poor oral health has been related to decreased school performance, poor social relationships, and less success later in life. Children experiencing pain are distracted and unable to concentrate on schoolwork.

• Children with chronic dental pain are unable to focus, are easily distracted, and may have problems completing their schoolwork. They may also experience deterioration of school performance, which negatively impacts their self-esteem.

• Children who take a test while they have a toothache are unlikely to score as well as children who are undistracted by pain.

• Early tooth loss caused by dental decay can result in a failure to thrive, impaired speech development, and decreased inability to learn and grow.

• Acute dental problems cause children to miss school.

Nutrition and Learning

• People who are missing teeth have to limit their food choices because of chewing problems, which may result in nutritionally inadequate diets.

• The daily nourishment that children receive affects their readiness for school.

• Inadequate nutrition during childhood can have detrimental effects on children’s cognitive development and on productivity in adulthood. Pediatric dentists, Dr. Fisher, Dr. Navarro and Dr. Lee, warn that nutritional deficiencies also negatively affect children’s school performance, their ability to concentrate and perform complex tasks, and their behavior.

Acknowledgment:
The above material is cited from Oral Health and Learning fact sheet. It is published by National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) and Georgetown University. Written permission must be received for duplication of any cited materials from Oral Health and Learning fact sheet from NCEMCH.