§ Ms MowlamTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are in place to educate children about dental health in schools in Northern Ireland. [39644]
§ Mr. AncramThe statutory Northern Ireland curriculum makes provision for health through the health education cross-curricular theme and the programme of study for science, which all pupils of compulsory school age must follow. The objectives of the cross-curricular theme include the teaching of the skills necessary to make informed decisions about health. The science programme of study requires pupils at key stage I—age four to eight—to be taught about personal hygiene, of which oral hygiene is a part.
In addition, the staff of the health boards' community dental service, which is responsible for screening pupils at intervals during their school careers, take the opportunities offered by their school visits to talk to pupils and teachers about dental health generally.