Where There Is No Dentist 2012 59
4. Make cleaning part of a daily health activity. Older students can
look after younger students. They can first check their hair for lice, then
sores for infection, and teeth for old food or germs. (To see the coating
of germs on the teeth, try the activity on page 53.) One partner can
point out to the other where washing and brushing can be done better.
CLEANLINESS CAN BEGIN AT SCHOOL
At school, students can wash their hands before lunch and brush their teeth
with flouride toothpaste afterward. Encourage them to keep a piece of soap
and a toothbrush or brushstick (p. 4). A program in the Philippines called Fit
for School (page 221) combines this with deworming 2 times a year to keep
children healthier, develop good habits, and keep them in school.
OR
A piece of bamboo can hold a brush
nicely. Make two holes near the top
for some grass string, to hang the
bamboo brush holder.
Let each student look after her
own soap and brush.
The student
can keep the
brush at her
own desk...
... or on a
rack at the
back of the
room.