Reviews and Comments on                                                The MouthWise™ Oral HealthCare School-on-the-Web™

Firstly, an Important Oral HealthCare Announcement

To end your visit to this oral health information site click HOME

Visit ‘Kids Oral Health Books ‘n C.D.’ and Visit ‘All about A Smile’.

Purchase the beautiful Kids Oral Health Books and Oral Health C.D.

Preserve kids smiles with GarGar The Dentist’s advice at their finger tips!

Click Home Page link to www.oralhealthhelpsite.com

 

 Let kids learn the oral health Song ‘4 Your Smile 2 Shine’

Great fun for everyone. Children, mums, dads, teachers and classrooms!

Click Home Page link to www.allaboutasmile.com

This Page contains:

• A) A review of all resource materials by The Australian State Government of Queensland ( Department of Education )
• B) Promotion of The MouthWise Oral HealthCare School-on-the-Web by The Australian State Governmentof .......
• C) Comments on an Assessmnent Package for The MouthWise     Oral HealthCare Education Program for Primary School Children by Australian State and Territory Government Departments
• D) Comments on The MouthWise Oral HealthCare Manual 2

A)    A Comprehensive Review of All Resource Materials for The MouthWise Oral HealthCare School-on-the-Web by Education Queensland Library Servces

" Review: This dental health program for children, from 'five to eleven years', is presented through virtual 'visits' to the dentist via a series of ten 'Oral HealhCare Manuals, a CD that repeats the information and a website with lessons associated with the books. It offers an enthusiastic approach to encouraging children to "Treat the mouth', instead of just brushing the teeth. The dentist author has a website through which students can obtain news and award certificates. Also on the website (http://www.oralhealthcare.info/) is a teacher handbook, 'Oral HealthCare School-on-the-Web™ that gives an outline of the activities. The sixteen-page, brightly coloured manuals are aimed at 'five to eleven'. The use of childish terms such as 'Nasteez' and 'Lurkeez' , together with technological terms such as Sorbitol and Mannitol, represents a scatter gun approach to the very wide target audience. Using 'x' , 'y', 'z' , and nonsense words such as 'stix' and 'zed' and 'Nasteez' to describe chemical elements and bacteria, could also be confusing for infants learning the alphabet. The very busy pages and complex sentences in the earlier 'visits' could confuse a less confident reader. The process described has support from some dental research. The encouragement given to the children to use emails is commendable and there is plenty of positive reinforcement for the lessons in the shape of printable certificates. There are some worthwhile and entertaining activities and the lesson instructions on the website are easy to follow and save teacher preparation time.Use for oral hygiene in HPE, Promoting the Health of Individuals and Communities, Levels 1 and 2."   

"Reproduced with permission, Copyright © State of Queensland (Department of Education) 2003"

The review rating is 'X Average '. The review explanation is 'Used for resources that are good, average library stock or material that fills areas of need where resources are not easily available'. The review states ' Suitable for: Lower Primary, Middle Primary, Upper Primary'.

The Review and Ratings explanation can be accessed on the internet at: http://crr.qed.qld.gov.au/reviews/afwiinq.dll

B)    Promotion of The MouthWise Oral Healthcare School-on-the Web by...

Details soon

C)    Comments on An Assessment Package for the MouthWise Oral HealthCare Education Program for Primary School Children by Australian State and Territory Government Departments:

The Assessment Package included the following material :
(1) The MouthWise Oral HealthCare Manual 2. (2) A Draft Classroom Handbook for Manual 2 ( Now published as Web-Lessons 1 to 10 in ‘The MouthWise Oral HealthCare School-on-the-Web’). (3) The C.D. ‘4 Your Smile 2 Shine’. (4) A video tape of classroom presentations of these concepts in a remote Northern Territory school.

South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services :
” I acknowledge your important work in relation to dental and oral health care and the development of an education program for primary school students. The Department does not endorse particular programs or materials, however you may contact individual schools or advertise in the Department’s newspaper…..I wish you success in your venture.”

Victorian Department of Education & Training :
“The MouthWise Oral HealthCare Education Program is an interesting educational program that could be of value to primary schools…The decision to purchase or use a resource is a decision made by each individual school. Therefore I would suggest that you could approach individual Victorian schools to promote your product……I wish you well with the promotion of this program.”

Western Australian Department of Sport and Recreation; Indigenous Affairs :
“ Regarding the MouthWise Oral HealthCare Education Program….I congratulate your effort and commitment in the development of these comprehensive curriculum support materials that support good oral health care and hygiene practices for primary school age children. In Western Australia , schools and school communities make decisions about their involvement in such programs……..I wish you well in the promotion of this comprehensive resource.”

NSW Department of Education and Training :
“ ..does not endorse or support commercially-produced programs or resources for schools. Individual schools make their own decisions about the resources that best meet the educational needs of their students.Thank you for drawing my attention to your education program.”

Tasmanian Minister for Education :
Assessment not yet completed. Discussions continuing.

Queensland Government Office of the Minister for Education :
"   have perused your resource and find it to be a comprehensive and engaging package. However Education Queesland does not endorse individual resources for use in schools.    ......  wish you well in your endeavours to have your resource used in schools"

ACT Minister for Education :
No advice yet received.

D)    Comments on The MouthWise Oral HealthCare Manual 2 :

The Australian Dental Association :
“Despite the merits of the product…the ADA would not wish to be involved in commercial promotions…….Best wishes for your venture.”

N.T. Government Department of Employment, Education and Training :
“… impressed by the amount of thought and effort that has gone into these manuals………….. decisions about the purchase and use of additional resource materials are made at local school level…….you might wish to consider (promoting) directly to schools.

THE MOUTHWISE™ ORAL HEALTHCARE SCHOOL-on-the-WEB™

Posted to this website in February 2003 it pre-empted the two following events.

It is both the immediate and the long term solution to the children's dental health crisis announced in an April 2003 report by The Australian Insitute of Health and Welfare titled "Child Dental Health Survey, Aust. 1999: Trends Across The 1990's" which indicated increasing rates of decay in Australian children during the 1990's. The first and unacceptable increase in decay rates in decades!

It is more comprehensive and greater in scope than The Australian Dental Association's annual dental health education program, "August 2003, Dental Awareness Month" in which the ADA requested; 1) "ask teachers in Pre-School Centres, Kindergartens and Primary Schools to run a dental awareness class.......it is important to make Australian children aware of the importance of their dental health" and 2) "ask parents to improve their knowledge of oral health issues in order that they can educate their children".