I had a fun time talking with 75 kindergarten children, ‘kinderbears’, at Franconia Elementary School today, home of the Franconia Mustangs. We talked about sugarbugs and cavities, how to make sure teeth are clean, and what a dentist does. Thanks to all the children and their teachers, especially Ms. Owens for organizing the speakers. See their pictures below or click here.

Updated thinking about fever in children’s illnesses was in the news recently. Fever is fairly common in children, and not all fevers are bad.

Longstanding belief, and even parental instinct, may compel you to fight your child’s fever to ease the persistent crying and discomfort. But most experts say not to worry so much about treating your child’s fever. In fact, they say, for children older than six months old, having a fever may be a good thing.

To see the original ABC News article, click here (for the video, click here).

For more about fever (definition, considerations, causes, home care, when to contact a medical professional, what to expect at your office visit, alternative names) from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, click here.

FYI, it is not uncommon to notice a slight elevation in temperature when children are teething, although research does not find any outright fever caused by teething.

We know that everyone needs plenty of sleep, but here is a new study that shows a link between lack of sleep and metabolism in children.

Suboptimal sleep patterns in children linked with obesity and adverse metabolic outcomes

Summary. Short sleep duration, variable sleep patterns, and lack of catch-up sleep on weekends were linked with obesity, and contributed to adverse metabolic outcomes in children. The authors urge emphasis on education regarding increased, less-variable sleep to help reduce obesity rates and improve metabolic trends.

Basis for Study. Obesity has increased as sleeping patterns have changed and duration increased in recent years. Short sleep duration or sleep disruption may be linked with metabolic dysfunction and obesity in children but has not been thoroughly studied.

Study. In a cross-sectional, community-based cohort of 308 children (ages 4 to 10; 71.4% non-Hispanic white), sleep duration and sleep patterns were tracked with wrist actigraphs for 1 week and measured against BMI, fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Results. Children overall routinely slept an average of 8 hours per night, below current recommended hours. Among obese children however, variation during the school week was greater with less catch-up sleep on weekends. Highly variable duration and short duration were linked with altered metabolic markers. The greatest health risk was shown in children with low sleep duration combined with irregular sleep schedules.

Sources & Other Links. Spruyt K, Molfese DL, Gozal D. Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, and Metabolic Homeostasis in School-aged Children. Pediatrics. 2011 Jan 24. [Epub ahead of print]

If it’s March …

It’s National Nutrition Month - a nutrition education and information campaign that focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

dad & mom: 50th Anniversary

March 14, 1931 – February 21, 2011
   for my mother

Devoted wife, mother and grandmother, Jackie died near her home in Fort Collins, Colorado on February 21, 2011 at a nursing home in Windsor from the effects Alzheimer’s disease.

Born March 14, 1931 to Ralph W. and Leonora E. Heald in Waterloo, Iowa, Jackie was a student at East Waterloo High School, and a graduate of then Iowa State Teachers College in 1953 (now the University of Northern Iowa). She married Arthur L. Bunn, also of Waterloo, June 13, 1953.

Jackie was a passionate flower gardener, superb seamstress, and even a fledgling light plane pilot. She was an accomplished, award winning accordionist (instructed also), and later took up the organ. She loved hot air ballooning as well as her sport cars (Sunbeam Alpine, Mustang, Fiat X-19).  Humorously pragmatic, she demonstrated her affection through her actions, and is fondly remembered by all who knew her. She was president of Newcomer’s clubs in numerous communities across the country during her husband’s career advancement with Gates Rubber Company.

3.14.1931 - 2.21.2011

A superb and caring teacher, who for the majority of her career instructed at the high school level, Jackie embraced the evolution of technology in her field of business from manual calculators to the modern personal computer.

She is survived by her husband Arthur Bunn of Fort Collins, her sister Mrs. Linda Funderburk, three children, and five grandchildren.

Following cremation, her Celebration of Life will be Thursday, February 24th, 2 pm at the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, 4501 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado 80525; map, click here.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association, Colorado Chapter, Inc. at 415 Peterson Street, Fort Collins, Colorado 80424.

From the Virginia Department of Health, “… we have entered what is likely our period of highest activity with influenza-like activity (ILI) and confirmed cases of influenza remaining widespread across Virginia.”

Influenza vaccine administered late in the influenza season has special benefit for specific groups:

• Newly pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant will benefit from vaccine protection now and early in the next flu season. In addition, their infants will have a reduced risk of hospitalization for influenza-like illness during their first six months of life.
• Any child aged 6 months through 8 years, who received seasonal influenza vaccine for the first time this year, should get a second dose during this season. Two doses this season means the child will only need one dose next year and subsequent years.
• Travelers to the Southern Hemisphere during our summer months should be vaccinated prior to their departure.

Sugarless does not mean cavity-free – usually. Most ‘sugarless’ products contain sorbitol and mannitol, sweeteners that bacteria can still grow on. But …

Xylitol is a cavity-free sweetener, and delicious candies are now available made with xylitol. That’s right. You can treat your loved one or teacher or friends – or yourself – to some tasty chocolates and not worry about your teeth in the process. Dr. John’s Candies, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, makes it possible to have a box of creamy chocolates that not only taste great, but are also a sugar-free healthy treat.

More about xylitol, click here.

Xylitol is perfectly safe for humans, but not for dogs. Did you know that grapes, raisins, onions and garlic are also harmful to dogs? See the ASPCA Poison Control Center info, click here.

On January 7, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced important steps to ensure that standards and guidelines on fluoride in drinking water continue to provide the maximum protection to the American people to support good dental health, especially in children.

HHS’ proposed recommendation of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water replaces the current recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams. HHS is expecting to publish final guidance for community water fluoridation by spring 2011.

HHS and EPA are making announcements on fluoride based on the most up to date scientific data. See the full press release, click here.

There are several reasons for the changes seen over time, including that Americans have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the United States in the 1940s. Water is now one of several sources of fluoride. Other common sources include dental products such as toothpaste and mouth rinses, prescription fluoride supplements, and fluoride applied by dental professionals. Water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste are largely responsible for the significant decline in tooth decay in the U.S. over the past several decades.

For more information about community water fluoridation, visit http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation.

Getting kids started out right with their teeth is a mission of mine, and I hope yours too.

A simple thing you can do is to make sure that your children get their regular dental checkups. Most of what we do is preventive (teach preventive care, like dry brushing; sealants, etc.), and with regular checkups if a cavity is detected it will be no big deal. Dental health has long-term implications for heart disease and stroke. Most dental problems can be avoided if usual prevent practices are followed.

A question I’m often asked is when to bring a child for their first checkup, and even today most parents are surprised: 12 months old. The easy rule of thumb is first checkup by first birthday. Of course at that age we don’t clean their teeth at age one, but we make sure that you know what to do. More about me working with children, click here.

If it’s time to get your children in for a checkup consider getting them in February during National Childrens Dental Health Month. And … it’s not just for kids – had your checkup lately, click here?

A little history on Dental Health Month and some activity pages too (good for teachers!), click here.

from the Academy of General Dentistry

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance allowing the continued use of health flexible spending arrangement (FSA) and health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) debit cards for the purchase of prescribed over-the-counter medicines and drugs. The new guidance modifies previous guidance to permit taxpayers to continue using FSA and HRA debit cards to purchase over-the-counter medications for which the taxpayer has a prescription. The new guidance, IRS Notice 2011-5, as well as answers to frequently asked questions are available on the IRS website.