Shonkey

44 Queens road Nelson NZ

Sugar diets take toll on toddlers - The Age 14th October 2015

Toddlers as young as 18 months are having rotting teeth pulled out, and in some cases older children are having all of their baby teeth removed in major operations, dentists say.

Sophie Beaumont, a dentist at Victoria's public dental hospital, said some children were presenting with blackened teeth and pus-filled gums, suspected to be caused by soft drinks and high sugar diets.

Some parents delayed going to a dentist until their child was in so much pain that the child's cries were keeping the family awake at night, she said. And some children's mouths were so bad they had to have all 20 of their baby teeth removed.

"It is very sad because you can imagine the impact on that child when they have to go to school with no teeth and try to function without them. It is quite upsetting," she said.

"It is not uncommon to be taking out 12 or 14 baby teeth in one go. We would do that quite frequently."

More than 1000 children throughout the state were put under general anaesthetic at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne last year, mostly to get multiple decayed teeth removed. Of these, 178 were three or under.

Dr Beaumont said the extractions often had lifelong consequences for the child – not least a permanent fear of dentists – because of problems with crowding and alignment that can occur when adult teeth emerge. This can only be fixed with expensive orthodontic treatment, which is not always available through the public dental system.

Frequent fizzy drinks and other drinks high in sugar such as cordials or fruit juices were the main culprit for large-scale decay, she said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Dental Association's David Manton said as many as 10 per cent of children who were being put under a general anesthetic to have rotten teeth taken out were returning a later date to have more removed because their diet had not improved.

Professor Manton, the deputy chair of the dental association's oral health committee, said non-English speaking or Indigenous children and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds were most at risk of large-scale tooth decay.

Young children are typically put under general anaesthetic if multiple teeth have to extracted, but if just one tooth needs to be removed it can be taken out in a dentist's chair.

A total of 164,785 children received dental care from the Dental Health Services Victoria in the past financial year, many of them for tooth decay. The health agency also runs awareness campaigns on caring for teeth.

Professor Manton said the Australian average for four-year-olds was to have one tooth with decay, with most of those remaining untreated.

He said a recent survey of more than 600 children from inner Melbourne preschools found that just over one-third of the children had evidence of decay.

The Alexander Street Chookhouse

What causes us to judge what is good and what is bad ? I ask the question after reading
an article in the Sun Herald about Alexander street chook house,then visiting and observing.

Its tucked away down the end, beside Balgowlah Road, you have to assume a similar attitude to the great general to hunt it down,on a triangular piece of land, with a stately eucalyptus tree providing shade, inside a 3 meter X 3 meter fenced triangle.The chooks who appear healthy and happy are going about their business, scratching amongst the straw and vegetable tops, with what appears to be first class accommodation, not your common or garden henhouse.

The scene is all about love, as stated on the white entrance gate, and reinforced by a passing women
cyclists with children behind. We stopped for a closer inspection, a dolls house adjacent, created an
inspirational setting for children to rest, play, and watch what chooks do for a living.

Unfortunately,my friends car battery was tired and unable to start his car", No worry "said
Rachel " I live round the corner. I'll get my car,and if you have jumper leads we can get you started".

So  communal well being was building,among the Arucaria trees, as she peddled down the
street with baby capsule in tow. The rangers vehicle made a brief appearance, beyond his fierce reputation.

Time for contemplation of nature at work, with human interaction, a much needed exercise in the year 2014. We guided Rachel's small car into a tight parking spot, besides Ralph's shiny red vehicle, minutes later.

The motor was alive and ticking over, our invitation for coffee was deferred to a later date, and for me and Ralph it was all joy as we drove to the battery shop.
(C)Copyright Tim Williams

Washington Post, by Michelle Boorstein, November 2015

Denistone East Primary School - ART - by Naomi (6yrs) for Pappa