Fife dental nurse’s book, Harry's Healthy Teeth, helps youngsters keep healthy smiles

Tracy Pirie, senior extended duties dental nurse, wrote 'Harry's Healthy Teeth’, which follows a young boy as he makes a visit to his dentist for a check-up.

With colourful illustrations and an engaginging storyline, Harry learns the best ways to look after his teeth and keep his healthy, happy smile.

Tracy works as part of the Childsmile programme, which is a national oral health improvement programme aimed at improving oral health and reducing dental inequalities in children in Scotland.

Drawing from her years of experience working with children in Fife, she was motivated to create an educational resource that would resonate with pre-school children and help them retain positive messages around their dental hygiene.

The book was well-received and has now been rolled out as an educational tool across all nurseries in Fife.

Tracy said: “We spend a huge amount of time working in local nurseries and we know that children are much more engaged, and retain more, when we use storytelling. By developing the book’, we are aiming to make good oral hygiene fun and accessible for young children, educating them about the importance of proper dental care in an engaging and entertaining way.

"By doing so, we hope to encourage good dental habits from an early age that children can carry with them throughout childhood and hopefully into adulthood too."

As part of the Childsmile programme in Fife, extended duties dental nurses and dental health support workers from Fife’s Public Dental Service visit educational establishments across the Kingdom. Since being rolled out across all nurseries in Fife, the book has become a key educational tool to help instil good habits from early childhood.

Angela Logue, Fife Council’s Head of Education & Childrens Services added: “This is a great enhancement to the already successful Childsmile programme in nurseries across Fife. Through the magic of storytelling, it is great to see this new book help our children develop this important life skill at an early age, in a fun and engaging way.”