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A group of year 13 students in the West Midlands teamed up with a local dentist to deliver a presentation on 'How nutrition affects oral health' to their year groups. Fatima Malik
wrote to the _BDJ _on behalf of the group, which also included Fatima Imran, Kulsoom Sakha, Sanaz Mirza and Rubab Mahmood. Fatima said: 'We are passionate about spreading awareness
about preventative dentistry as we realise it is often neglected by many people, especially those our age. This is because a lot of them are unaware and do not realise the importance of
taking care of your teeth and the impact a bad diet, especially sugary foods, can have on your oral health'. The group teamed up with Dr Uzair Janjua, a dentist who mentors young
students who aspire to be dentists. In the presentation, the students gave tips on how to maintain good oral hygiene and explained what foods or drinks fellow students should avoid, as well
as warning them about the potential negative consequences of bad oral health. Fatima said: 'After giving the presentation a lot of our classmates and even teachers were telling us about
how they were unaware of how much of an impact a bad diet can have on their oral health and how bad oral health is linked to many severe health problems. Many of them were thanking us,
saying how they learnt a lot and will try their best to use our tips to maintain better oral hygiene'. All of the year 13 students involved in the presentation are applying to dental
school this year. Fatima was inspired through witnessing her father's journey through periodontal disease and seeing the negative impacts smoking and not maintaining good oral hygiene
had on his teeth. The students hope to go on raising awareness of the importance of maintaining good oral health. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS
ARTICLE Secondary school students educate peers on good oral health. _Br Dent J_ 229, 515 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2314-z Download citation * Published: 23 October 2020 *
Issue Date: October 2020 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2314-z SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link
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