If you’re a parent and you want your child to have the most academic advantages possible, you’re probably well aware that helping your child get an edge over the scholastic competition has gotten harder and harder recently. Children and their parents are always looking for a new way to get ahead, and it can be seriously difficult to find new tactics for success.
According to recent research, one avenue that may be underexplored is the connection between good oral health and good grades. If you want to know a bit more about how the two are related, here’s some information you might find interesting.
Better Teeth, Better Grades
In 2012, a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics analyzed data compiled by the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health to see how children’s oral health impacted their scholastic performance. The study used data from over 40,000 children and found that there was, in fact, a startling connection between the two.
Children who suffered from untreated oral health problems were more likely to miss school and were much less likely to do all the homework assigned to them, leading to significantly impaired academic performance overall.
Beyond Book Learning
Academics are obviously important, but school is also an opportunity for kids to meet new people and get used to interacting with their peers. As it turns out, substantial oral health problems make this more difficult as well.
Children who had problems with their teeth also reported difficulties in their social life to a much greater extent than those who did not. Oral illness was heavily associated with shyness, low self-esteem, and reduced friendliness.
Preventing Oral Health Problems
With all this in mind, it’s a good idea for parents of academically-minded children to make sure that they aren’t being distracted—or depressed—by oral health problems. Part of this starts at home with good oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, and using antibacterial mouthwash.
However, it’s also important to make regular visits to the dentist at least twice a year. You may be reticent to pull your kids out of school for a dentist’s appointment, but not doing so could mean greater oral illness down the road, resulting in much more time-consuming dental treatments. Ultimately a few trips to the dentist could save you and your child quite a few headaches down the line.
About Our Practice
At Rauchberg Dental Group, we pride ourselves on our ability to give patients of all ages the tools that they need to achieve immaculate oral health. Not only that, we take a gentle and personal approach with our patients to make sure that they can feel completely at ease for the duration of their time with us.
If you have any questions about how to bring your family to excellent oral health, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (973) 718-9887.