Experimental activities in primary school to learn about microbes in an oral health education context

Activities of experimental science in primary school enable children to make important cross-curricular learning. In this work experimental activities on microbiology were carried out by the 16 pupils of a Portuguese grade-4 classroom (9-10 years old) and were focused on two problem-questions related to microbiology and health: (I) Do your teeth have microbes? (II) Why should you brush your teeth after meals? To solve problem-question (I) children’s samples of dental plaque were prepared and observed under the microscope. For question (II) culture medium plates were inoculated with children’s dental plaque either before or after tooth brushing and the colonies counted. Results showed that pupils recognized easily the presence of microorganisms in the mouth and verified the effectiveness of the process of tooth brushing. Pupils understood straightforwardly that microorganisms were potentially responsible for the onset of dental caries. These practical activities on microbiology in primary school showed to be very effective for young children understand easily the causes of dental caries and how they can be prevented. Pupils became aware that the act of brushing their teeth is not only a socially correct behaviour or a simple rule to meet, but also a matter of preventing illness and promoting health.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, UM (FCT R&D 317