1. How might the cycle poverty and living in an impoverished community (e.g., living in a food desert) influence oral health care and nutrition of the children you visited?
In these situations, oral health will be a low priority for the children and most likely the guardians of these children. Lower income families have less disposable income to spend on products like toothbrushes and floss when they are barely making enough to feed their families. Oral health is low on the priority list for these families. Likewise, the nutrition of these children will be poor and lead to bad oral health as there are limited places to buy fresh foods and will therefore result in a high fat and sugar diet.
1. What was your general experience like in spending time with toddlers?
Prior to this visit I had experience working with toddlers at sports camps and I relish the time spent with kids. My overall experience spending time with toddlers at Head Start was a good one. I greatly enjoyed the time spent with the children during recess where I witnessed the kids running, laughing, playing. It always amazes me how confident children are in their own skin and how creative they can be.
2. What did you learn about the experience of explaining or addressing oral health issues with toddlers?
One of the main …show more content…
I do not have any kids of my own and neither does anyone in my family and so I am pretty removed from interacting with children on a daily basis. All of my interactions with children have come in the form of play and never in a serious situation. A big limitation that I need to work on to be a successful dental provider for pediatric patients would be interacting with toddlers in a profession setting such as a dental office, rather than the gyms or churches where I have traditionally interacted with
In these situations, oral health will be a low priority for the children and most likely the guardians of these children. Lower income families have less disposable income to spend on products like toothbrushes and floss when they are barely making enough to feed their families. Oral health is low on the priority list for these families. Likewise, the nutrition of these children will be poor and lead to bad oral health as there are limited places to buy fresh foods and will therefore result in a high fat and sugar diet.
1. What was your general experience like in spending time with toddlers?
Prior to this visit I had experience working with toddlers at sports camps and I relish the time spent with kids. My overall experience spending time with toddlers at Head Start was a good one. I greatly enjoyed the time spent with the children during recess where I witnessed the kids running, laughing, playing. It always amazes me how confident children are in their own skin and how creative they can be.
2. What did you learn about the experience of explaining or addressing oral health issues with toddlers?
One of the main …show more content…
I do not have any kids of my own and neither does anyone in my family and so I am pretty removed from interacting with children on a daily basis. All of my interactions with children have come in the form of play and never in a serious situation. A big limitation that I need to work on to be a successful dental provider for pediatric patients would be interacting with toddlers in a profession setting such as a dental office, rather than the gyms or churches where I have traditionally interacted with