Bones & Teeth

After a weekend dedicated to the cocoa-based gods of gluttony and greed, redemption is at hand with today’s Lewes Castle event. The session concentrates on bones and teeth, and promises a range of activities with ‘a bite’ for children aged two to five to ‘get their teeth into’. If these include encouraging kids to look after their teeth better, that will go down well with the UK’s Chief Dental Officers. In a joint statement in May 2005 they said “Good oral health is a fundamental element of general good health”, and vowed to find ways to improve a situation where, despite major improvements in the standard of dental care, many children are still not having treatment, their parents put off by the cost. This has lead to the unacceptable position where the majority of UK children are still affected by dental decay. The quality of bones is of course equally important for a good life; as well as providing the structure enabling us to walk, they also act as mineral banks, storing nutrients like calcium and magnesium for the body to call on in times of need. And interestingly, the 270 we are born with fuse down to 206 by adulthood.

It’s unlikely that much of this information will be passed on during today’s talk. We do however expect that they will get a tour of the excellent castle museum and the chance to draw a skeleton and a set of teeth or two. NW