Lessons on Plaque and Fluoride

I will be discussing two different lesson plans provided by Oral B. The first will be similar to the decay lesson I previously shared. This deals with the effect of fluoride. The second will be an experiment to show students the negative effects of plaque.

To teach students about the importance of fluoride, the lesson has the teacher take eggshells, put them into a container and cover the shells with a fluoride solution. After allowing the eggshells to sit in the fluoride solution for about five minutes, remove the shells. Pour vinegar into two separate containers. In one container put the fluoride-treated eggshells and in the other put in the untreated eggshells. The results of this experiment are similar to those seen with the decay: bubbling will occur in the container of vinegar and untreated eggshells. This is due to the chemical reaction taking place between the acid in the vinegar and the calcium in the eggshells. These eggshells begin to dissolve and if left along long enough to react, will completely dissolve. The other container with the treated eggshells does not produce a chemical reaction. Any guesses why? It is because the fluoride treatment provided a protective coat to the eggshells, keeping them from being dissolved. It is important to remember that the acids from the vinegar represent the acids that people ingest on a daily basis, and can hardly be avoided. Some of these acids can be produced by the body so no matter how careful you are in choosing the food you eat, acids cannot be completely removed from a diet. Taking this into consideration, one therefore cannot avoid acids and should be aware of the damage the acid can cause to the teeth.

After doing this experiment, it would be a great time to talk about the negative and positive effects of fluoride. (Many of my previous posts explain the details of fluoride and fluoridation.) The teacher should remind the students that fluoride is only good in limited amounts. They should not directly ingest fluoride, but rather brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day to sufficiently protect their teeth.

The second lesson plan a teacher can do for their class demonstrates the negative effects of plaque. Again, Oral B outlines the easy steps to follow. An apple is used to represent the teeth. A quarter-sized diameter, one inch deep hole is cut in the apple and placed into a brown paper bag. It is left for a few days and then brought back out for reexamination. At this time, the teacher cuts the apple in half and the class views the changes. The apple has turned rotten in just a few days.

The results should be explained to the class that they are observing the effects of too much plaque. When the student overlooks brushing, the plaque is able to accumulate on their teeth and start a destructive process. This is one of the ways cavities are formed, and what child wishes for cavities?

By showing the students these various experiments they are able to better understand the importance of brushing. Seeing results always seems to be more effective than simply lecturing on a topic. The students do not only learn the importance of good oral hygiene but also how to keep a science notebook, make hypothesis, take observations, and see chemical reactions at work. This ought to be very interesting to the class because many science experiments are not seen until middle school, so witnessing an experiment should be stimulating and new to their minds.