Name ............................

A mouth map
Using a hand mirror, count the number of teeth you have. Mark missing teeth with a cross (X) and any filled teeth with an F.

Teeth and Dental Health

Class ......................

Cut out the rectangles below and rearrange them so that they show the correct sequence of tooth decay.

3 The acid eats into the enamel and dental decay starts.

5 Denture is softer than enamel so the decay quickly spreads.

decay

decay

Upper jaw

6 When the decay reaches the pulp 2 Bacteria on the surface of the cavity the nerves will be affected teeth use the sugar as food, and and this is what causes toothache. acid is produced.

acid is formed

nerve sends message to brain molars Lower jaw molars

1 Sweet, sticky food builds up in the spaces between your teeth and on the surfaces.

4 The decay or dental carie extends into the dentine.

decay premolars canine incisors canine premolars

Set 1: Life Processes and Living Things Poster 4

Set 1: Life Processes and Living Things Poster 4: Teeth and Dental Health

TEACHERS NOTES
N

T I ONA
L

RICUL

National Curriculum
Half upper jaw Half lower jaw

AT2 (2a): the functions of teeth and the importance of dental care

Activities
C
TIV ITI
ES

Provide each pupil with a small plastic mirror and allow them to examine their own teeth. This will give them an introduction to the different types of teeth and their numbers. Pupils can record their observations on the mouth map and then discuss their results. Pupils could then consider the cleanliness of their teeth, and carry out an experiment, recording results on the map (see Background information). This should lead on to discussions about how teeth can be kept clean and the consequences of not doing so. The illustration on the right-hand side of the poster can be coloured, cut out and arranged to form a picture book sequence of events. Teachers may like to blank out the numbers before copying this part of the poster to make this activity more challenging.
KG

Explain the roles of plaque and food in causing tooth decay, and that of fluoride in helping to prevent it. Explain the purpose of disclosing tablets. Divide the children into pairs. Ask them to: Select one member of the pair, who should clean his/her teeth thoroughly. The other child is the control in the experiment and does not clean his/her teeth. Chew a disclosing tablet each. Look at their teeth with a mirror, and compare the amount of stain on the unbrushed teeth with that on the brushed teeth. Draw conclusions about the value of brushing teeth in removing plaque. In the following discussion, it can be pointed out that even on brushed teeth there will be stains present because some areas of plaque have been missed. With correct brushing the plaque (and the stains) can be removed. Discussion could lead onto effective brushing techniques. (Information is available from dentists and Health Promotion Centres.) When the children are brushing away the stain, ask them to carry out these correct techniques. If the exercise is timed, it will give the children an idea of the importance of thorough brushing and the time it takes.

In adults there are 32 teeth in all. A full set of teeth includes twelve molars (grinding, crushing teeth). The distribution of teeth is therefore:

Incisors Canine Premolar Molar 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 3

SS

-C U R RI C

Tooth decay begins immediately upon the formation of acid in the mouth. The acids dissolve the mineral parts of the tooth, initially attacking the enamel. As the demineralisation of the tooth advances, areas soften and cavities form, which render the tooth much more prone to infection.

Design and Technology

Pupils could look at different toothbrush designs and consider how different uses and purposes have been catered for. Pupils could design their own toothbrushes.

RO

TE
N SI
O

Children could investigate the presence and significance of plaque on teeth, and the effect that brushing teeth has on removing plaque. You will need to provide: disclosing tables (a letter home explaining why they are to be used and the value of the investigation); toothbrushes (the childrens own, labelled); toothpaste; water jug; plastic cups; small mirrors (safety backed/dental mirrors); and sand timers/stop clocks.

Extension activities

Dental formula The complete milk, or deciduous, dentition of a child is 20 teeth. The dentition is made up of eight incisors (cutting, snipping teeth), four canines (gripping, piercing teeth in carnivores) and eight premolars (grinding, crushing teeth). The following table shows the distribution of teeth in each half of the jaw:
Half upper jaw Half lower jaw Incisors Canine Premolar 1 2 2 1 2 2

Pearson Publishing, Chesterton Mill, Frenchs Road, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555

ND

Background information
BA
U

Fortunately, the initial stages of decay are reversible; in other words enamel can remineralise (reharden). The balance between demineralisation and repair is affected by several factors, which include: Fluoride reduces demineralisation increases remineralisation and hardens the teeth inhibits acid production by bacteria. Frequency of eating/drinking the more frequently an individual eats or drinks sugar- or starch-containing foods or drinks, the more often demineralisation occurs. Diet foods rich in carbohydrate tend to stimulate acid production, whereas some foods are protective, eg cheese. Sticky foods, which adhere to the teeth and stay in the mouth longer, are more harmful than those which are quickly removed from the mouth. Flow of saliva saliva helps to neutralise acid and keep teeth clean of food and plaque. It also carries minerals essential for remineralisation. Susceptibility of teeth each persons teeth vary in the degree to which they are susceptible to decay.
C

IT/Maths

Survey numbers of teeth, dental caries, visits to dentists etc. Plot results as graphs and enter into computer databases.

LA

Plaque and tooth decay Plaque is present in the mouth as a thin covering around the teeth, which tends to build up in the crevices between teeth and gums. It consists of food debris and bacteria. The bacteria feed on sugars provided either from sugar or starch contained in foods, and produce acids as by-products of their life processes.

Helping reduce tooth decay The simple messages to put across should include: Eat a sensible, balanced diet and avoid frequent snacking between meals. Clean teeth carefully at least twice a day, using a toothbrush and brushing actions recommended by a dentist or an oral hygienist, and fluoride toothpaste. Use of dental floss and a special plaque remover may also be recommended. Visit the dentist regularly (every six months at least) for check-ups.

ES

OURC

Science Activities for Key Stage 2 Pack A.

CU

Cross-curricular links

CRO

Useful resources

EX

Name ............................

Food Chains

Class ......................

All animals get their energy from eating plants or other animals which have eaten plants. Energy passes from green plants to animals along a food chain. Green plants are called producers because they make their own food. Animals are called consumers because they eat plants or animals.

Producers

Consumers

grass

green beans

minnow

caterpillar

mouse

blackberry

moss

frog

beetle

shrew

oak tree

corn Barn owl

toad

mayfly

vole

pond weed

lichen

ladybird

aphid

blue tit

Set 1: Life Processes and Living Things Poster 9

Set 1: Life Processes and Living Things Poster 9: Food Chains

TEACHERS NOTES
N

T I ONA

RICUL

AT2 (5c): that food chains show feeding relationships in an ecosystem AT2 (5d): that nearly all food chains start with a green plant The second activity is for the pupils to build up some food chains. To do this they need: A piece of thin card, a child size plastic coat hanger, glue, a hole punch, some reinforcing rings, thread and the pictures (see diagram below).

National Curriculum

Following discussion, the pupils could record the diet of each animal on the reverse of each picture. When a herbivore eats a plant, and then a carnivore eats a herbivore the sequence of events is called a food chain. In the world around us there are millions of simple 3 and 4 link food chains.
TE
N SI
O

At Key Stage 2 pupils must explore and investigate at least two different habitats. They could make food chain mobiles for different locations.

Extension activities

A tertiary consumer eats secondary consumers (but may also feed on primary consumers, and even producers if omnivorous).

EX

C
TIV ITI

ES

All living things need energy and a supply of raw materials in order to carry out basic life processes. The first activity is for the pupils to cut out the pictures of the animals and plants and divide them up into groups based on their supply of energy: their food. The simplest categories are plants which produce their own food from simple raw materials and solar energy, and animals which consume ready made food materials.

To help the pupils in this task the illustrations are divided into producers and consumers. The pupils could subsequently divide up their pictures into smaller groups. The definitions given in the Background information may prove helpful. A knowledge of the diets of the animals can be obtained from reference books. A task which could be set for older or more able pupils. The following list may prove helpful: Animal Food Barn owl mice, shrews, voles, small birds, insects, frogs, toads, fish Voles leaves, roots, shoots, seeds like acorns Frogs insects Toads insects, slugs Mice grain, grass, bark from young trees, soft fruit insects like ladybirds pondweed when a larvae lichen, leaves aphids plant sap Shrews Mayfly Slugs Ladybirds Aphids

ND

KG

RO

SS

-C U R RI C

It is important for pupils to realize that the sun is the original source of energy.

English

Plants form the base of the food chain and are called producers. They produce their food using energy from the sun, carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, and water and minerals from the soil. Herbivores (animals that eat plants) are primary consumers. Carnivores (animals that eat other animals) are known as secondary consumers.

Imagine you have stayed too long in the wood and now you must go home in the fading light. Describe your journey home.

Poems about hunters and hunted.

Art

Produce a collage of an area showing as many different food chains as you can. Use pictures in nature books to give you ideas.

Pearson Publishing, Chesterton Mill, Frenchs Road, Cambridge CB4 3NP Tel 01223 350555

LA

CU

Producers, only convert about 5% of the light that reaches them into food available for primary consumers.

The pupils might enjoy producing a mobile with themselves as the end of the food chain. (See diagram below.)

Activities
A

Energy losses through respiration mean that only a proportion of the energy that a primary consumer takes in during its lifetime will be available to secondary consumers. Typically 90% or more of the energy is wasted in this way at each stage in the food chain.

Barn owl

Pupil

The poor efficiency with which energy, originally from sunlight, is transferred up the food chain leads to what is known as the principle of numbers or, more accurately, the principle of biomass (amount of living material). It takes a great number of producers (or some very large ones trees for example) to keep a relatively small number of primary consumers supplied with food.
Hen Milk Apple

Cow Corn

Tree

Sparrow hawk

Tertiary consumers

Robins Blackbirds

Secondary consumers

The card should be cut so that it is as wide as the horizontal bar of the coat hanger. This should be folded in half and fitted over the hanger, and the two surfaces glued together. The picture of the barn owl should be glued to one side of the card. Near the bottom edge three holes should be punched and then strengthened with reinforcing rings. The pictures of three animals eaten by owls should be selected, holes punched near the top of each and then joined by thread to the owl picture. This process is then repeated for each of the animals whose pictures now hang below that of the owl. Each vertical line of pictures represents a food chain. Ideally each mobile food chain set will be different.

Grass Sun

Sun

Sunlight

Aphids, Beetles Grasshoppers, Caterpillars

Primary consumers (Herbivores)

Grasses, Small plants Flowers, Trees

Producers

Sun

Background information
BA

Cross-curricular links
C

CRO