PETALING JAYA: Integrating oral health in the school curriculum and having daily supervised toothbrushing in schools are crucial in improving children’s oral health, say experts.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said poor oral health could significantly impact students’ quality of life, causing toothaches that lead to absenteeism, poor concentration, disrupted sleep and fatigue.
As such, she said schools are key to shaping lifelong habits to help reinforce the importance of good oral hygiene through daily routines.
Integrating oral health into the school curriculum made it feel normal, relevant and important, she added.
“The key is repetition across different contexts so that it becomes embedded and not just a one-off oral health week,” Noor Azimah said.
She added that daily supervised tooth brushing has shown success in some schools, though implementation is inconsistent.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon suggested integrating simple, structured routines into the school day to encourage better oral hygiene practices.
“Teachers can encourage students to brush their teeth each morning before the first class and again after recess.
“Making it part of the daily routine reinforces personal hygiene and builds good lifelong habits,” he said.
Fouzi said the Health Ministry, together with the Education Ministry, has introduced several oral health programmes nationwide.
“One notable initiative includes annual dental check-ups conducted by dental health professionals.
“These visits are not just examinations – they include demonstrations on proper brushing techniques and guidance on selecting appropriate dental tools,” he said, adding that such efforts have helped instil healthy habits among students and ensured that they receive accurate information from qualified personnel.
SK Taman Megah PTA chairman Yuwaraj Kumar Balakrishnan said awareness campaigns by the Education Ministry should be carried out more frequently.
“Currently, dental clinics visit our school once a year to conduct check-ups, which is helpful. These visits should be done more frequently.
“There should also be a system to provide direct feedback to parents after each examination,” he said.
Another challenge faced by schools, he added, is the presence of unauthorised vendors selling junk food, sugary snacks and ice cream outside school compounds.
“These vendors keep coming back despite many attempts to keep them away.
“As these snacks are high in sugar, they can become addictive, creating unhealthy habits as children start consuming them as meal replacements,” he said.
He added that the root causes of poor oral health often stem from habits formed at home and a lack of awareness about proper dental care.
Meanwhile, Asian Academy of Preventive Dentistry president Prof Dr Rahimah Abdul Kadir said parents’ attitudes toward oral care play a major role in shaping their children’s dental habits and outcomes.
“Many parents still believe that milk teeth are not important because they will eventually be replaced, but that perception is old-fashioned and harmful,” said the former dean of Universiti Malaya Faculty of Dentistry.
With 48 years of experience as a dental educationist, Prof Rahimah proposed that oral health education start as early as infancy, integrated into routine health check-ups.
“When parents bring babies for vaccinations or weigh-ins, nurses or dental therapists could demonstrate how to clean a baby’s mouth, even before their teeth appear.
“This sets the foundation for lifelong oral care,” she said.
Young children should not be left to brush their teeth unsupervised as they lack the dexterity to do it properly, she added.
“It takes time and patience to establish this habit, but parents need to discipline and support them until they are old enough to manage it independently.”
Prof Rahimah also pointed to diet as a major factor in dental problems.
“In many Asian cultures, there is a belief that children need sugar for energy, so parents fill their kids’ tumblers with sweet drinks instead of water.
“This actually causes more harm, making children hyperactive and increasing the risk of severe cavities,” she said.
