Causes and Treatments of Bad breath in Children

Bad breath, medically known as halitosis, is a condition that even healthy children can sometimes experience. If you've noticed that your little one's breath is not so pleasant, there is hope. When it comes to bad breath in children, most of the time improper oral hygiene is the culprit.

What Causes Bad Breath?

There are a number of factors that could contribute to bad breath. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Poor oral hygiene. If your child doesn't brush and floss his teeth frequently, bad breath can result. If plaque is not brushed away, it can irritate the gums, causing additional issues. The tongue can also harbor bacteria that produce foul odors and bad breath, so make sure your child is brushing his tongue as well.
• Dry mouth. Saliva helps to cleanse the mouth. When your child's mouth is producing less saliva than normal, xerostomia may occur, which contributes to bad breath.
• Mouth breathing. When a child breathes through his mouth (due to a stuffy nose or as a sleep habit), it prevents saliva from washing away bacteria, which promotes bad breath.
• Bacteria on the Tongue. Most odor causing bacteria reside on the tongue. If you don't brush your tongue with a Colgate^® 360 Toothbrush, odor causing bacteria will accumulate and cause bad breath.

• Infections in the mouth. Bad breath can also come about as a result of cavities, plaque buildup, mouth sores, or oral surgery.
• A foreign object. Sometimes a baby or toddler will place a foreign object (tiny toys, food particles, etc.) in his or her nose. A foreign object lodged in the nose can cause bad breath in children.
• Certain foods. If your child consumes foods that have a strong odor, like garlic, onions or specific spices, it can impact the freshness of his breath.
• Medications. Sometimes, the way medication breaks down in the body can lead to bad breath. This process releases chemicals that may result in bad breath.
• An illness or condition. If your child is suffering from allergies, a sinus infection, tonsillitis or another condition, bad breath can occur.

How to Avoid Bad Breath

Healthy teeth are integral to a child's overall health and well being. You can help your child avoid bad breath by developing an oral care routine.

• Have your child brush twice a day with an ADA accepted fluoride toothpaste to promote fresh breath. Always remember to supervise young children so they do not swallow the toothpaste.
• When your child brushes his teeth, make sure he also cleans his tongue, as bacteria can collect and grow on the tongue.
• Floss daily in order to remove odor causing food particles from the teeth.
• Remember to get a new toothbrush every few months, because dull bristles cannot effectively remove plaque and debris from the teeth.
• Avoid halitosis and other oral health concerns by scheduling regular checkups and professional cleanings with a dentist.

Chronic Bad Breath in Children

Most of the time, your child's bad breath will go away once you implement better oral hygiene. However, some children may experience chronic bad breath. If a dentist determines that your child's mouth is healthy, you may be referred to a primary care physician for additional tests to diagnose the underlying cause of the halitosis.

Regardless of the cause of bad breath, teaching children how to form good dental care habits at an early age can be vital in terms of their oral health as adults.

Source: [ Colgate Oral Care Centre ]

Boko Haram fighters surrender to authorities in Southern Niger

Dozens of Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up to authorities in southern Niger, the interior minister said, days after the Islamist group suffered key losses over the border in Nigeria.
"Thirty-one young people from Diffa, who were enrolled a few years ago in Boko Haram, decided to surrender," minister Mohamed Bazoum wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, above pictures of him touring the area near Nigeria's northeast border.
The fighters arrived in the remote desert town of Diffa in groups and were being held by local authorities.
"I learned that the first who surrendered were not arrested, and I surrendered," a former Boko Haram combatant told national television.
"We expect a pardon from the government so that we can participate in the development of the country and help us get rid of the trauma."

In June, tens of thousands of people fled Diffa as Boko Haram swept the region. Five Niger soldiers were killed by the militants near Diffa in September.
In a statement carried later on national television, Bazoum said the government would welcome the former fighters "with open arms", adding: "All those who have parents who are with Boko Haram can tell them to return. Boko Haram is now weak."
Boko Haram has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during a seven-year insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic state in Nigeria. In recent years its attacks have spilled into neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad.
Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters surrendered in Chad in October and November as the group ceded territory.
The group controlled an area about the size of Belgium in early 2015 but has since been pushed back by international forces including troops from Niger. Nigeria's army captured its last enclave in the vast Sambisa forest on Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday. 


Source: [ Reuters ]

Star Prize for Miss FACE OF AGRICULTURE 2017 unveiled by Team Goldmine

A new innovation in the hospitality industry; beauty pageantry has been introduced.

Unlike in the past whereby participation was mostly in areas that had to do with beauty parades, IQ checks and presentations, Helping Hands International (H2i), a Non-Governmental Organisation has set the ball rolling by involving participants to be prepared to get involved in agriculture which is a serious business that can bring out the country from the present recession.

Making this known in Kaduna, Benevolence Michael, Team Leader of H2i disclosed that history has shown that countries that have experienced drought and famine saved themselves through the rejuvenation of its agricultural sector.

Benevolence Michael made this assertion during the official unveiling ceremony of the 1^st Prize; a Hyundai Creta i x 25 SUV Jeep which would be presented to the winner of the forthcoming Maiden Edition of “Face of Goldmine Agriculture Pageant 2017”, in Kaduna.

According to the Team Leader, H2i (Helping Hands International; Touching Lives, Empowering People), the decision to bring agriculture into pageantry, is because “Agriculture is an important sector which many of our youths are running away from as it is viewed as a profession for only the elderly ones in the villages”.

“We discovered that the youth of today only embrace entertainment. And, the way to get their attention is to incorporate entertainment into agriculture. With such a move, the youths will be encouraged to go into farming through this pageant and at the end, a lot of prizes will be won and the grand finale will witness the winner take home, the Hyundai Creta SUV Jeep as the “Goldmine Face of Agriculture 2017”.

“If all the youths currently roaming the streets and women embrace agriculture by cultivating a small hectare of land; planting even vegetables, it will go a long way to solve their problems”.

“In an experiment where we invited youths for a sensitization workshop on agriculture, very few of them showed up. So we decided to call them again for an entertainment show and the hall was jam packed and we used the opportunity to preach the gospel of “go back to the farm” to them. It was there we discovered that entertainment and agriculture can be put together to help the youths”.

“We approached Queen Abueh, Chairperson of the Kaduna state Chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN. She supported us in our quest to organize the pageant to select the “1^st Edition of the Goldmine Face of Agriculture”. 

The winner of the “Face of Agriculture” must be conversant with farming and should be from the ages of 18 –23 years. And, having a farmland of your own will boast the chances of each contestant”, the H2i Team leader stated.

“Again, a contestant must also possess the qualities of a queen, such as good diplomacy, beauty implanted in Nigeria culture that can enable her move around to talk to people especially young men and women on the need to go back to the farm”, she emphasized.

On what is expected in terms of the number of participants and where the target audience is focused upon, the H2i Team Leader stated; “we are expecting 36 contestants from the 36 States of the Federation and including the Federal Capital Territory”, she quipped.

Agriculture, according to Benevolence Michael, is a profitable venture that can turnaround the fortune of the country and that may be impossible if the women and youth are not encouraged to participate in the project; and that is the aim of the programme.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SALES OF FORMS, INTENDING PARTICIPANTS SHOULD VISIT www.h2iteamgoldmine.org ; CALL 08087512512 ;  FACEBOOK: FACE OF AGRICULTURE

Courtesy: [ naijnewsalert ]