Calcium Counts When It Comes to Protecting Kids’ Oral Health

(The following article is taken from the DDPA/Delta Dental Oral Health Info on the Web, http://oralhealth.deltadental.com/Children/Nutrition/22,DD26)

Calcium is a mineral that helps make teeth strong and healthy. Even before baby teeth and adult teeth come in, they need calcium. And after teeth come in, they continue to take in calcium so they can develop fully.

Calcium makes gums healthy. Getting enough calcium as a young adult may help prevent gum disease later in life. Calcium makes jawbones strong and healthy too. Jawbones need to be strong — they hold the teeth in place!

Studies show that most kids don’t get the calcium they need. In fact, more than half of teenage boys and girls don’t get enough calcium.

How Much Calcium Your Child Needs¹
1-3 years: 500 milligrams (mg) daily
4-8 years: 800 milligrams
9-18 years: 1,300 milligrams

Where Can Kids Get Calcium?
Milk and other dairy foods, such as cheese and yogurt, are very good sources of calcium. One eight-ounce glass of milk has about 300 milligrams of calcium. Just a few glasses can go a long way toward giving kids the calcium they need each day. Milk also has other vitamins and minerals that are good for teeth and bones. The vitamin D in milk helps the body absorb calcium.

Other healthy foods with calcium are dark green, leafy vegetables; orange juice with calcium added; and soy milk with calcium added.

Food Nutrition Labels
Food labels can tell you how much calcium is in one serving of a food. Look at the % Daily Value next to the calcium number on the food label.

• Try to eat and drink foods with 20% or more Daily Value of calcium (such as milk). These foods are good sources of calcium.

• A food with 5% Daily Value or less has just a little calcium.

For most adults, 100% Daily Value = 1,000 milligrams of calcium — but children ages 9-18 need extra calcium, or 130% of the Daily Value. This age group needs 1,300 milligrams, an additional 300 milligrams of calcium each day. That means one extra eight-ounce glass of milk or extra servings of another calcium-rich food.

Some Healthy Foods and Their Calcium Content^2,3
Plain yogurt, fat-free: 1 cup, 450 mg, 45% daily value of calcium⁴
American cheese: 2 ounces, 350 mg, 35% daily value of calcium
Ricotta cheese: 1/2 cup, 337 mg, 30% daily value of calcium
Yogurt with fruit: 1 cup, 315 mg, 30% daily value of calcium
Cheddar cheese: 1 1/2 ounces, 306 mg, 30% daily value of calcium
Milk (fat-free, low-fat, or whole): 1 cup, 300 mg, 30% daily value of calcium
Orange juice with added calcium: 1 cup, 300 mg, 30% daily value of calcium
Soy milk with calcium added: 1 cup, 250-300 mg, 25-30% daily value of calcium
Cheese pizza: 1 slice, 220 mg, 20% daily value of calcium
Macaroni and cheese: 1/2 cup, 180 mg, 18% daily value of calcium
Collards, frozen, boiled: 1/2 cup chopped, 179 mg, 17% daily value of calcium
Chocolate pudding: 1/2 cup, 153 mg, 15% daily value of calcium
Frozen yogurt: 1/2 cup, 118 mg, 10% daily value of calcium
Tortilla, corn: 3 tortillas, 132 mg, 10% daily value of calcium
Broccoli, cooked: 1 cup, 90 mg, 9% daily value of calcium

How Can You Help Your Children Get Enough Calcium for Healthy Teeth and Bones?

• Serve calcium-rich foods with meals and snacks.

• Make sure you drink milk and eat dairy foods. Children learn by watching their parents.

Ideas for Adding Calcium to Meals and Snacks⁵

Breakfast

• Pour low-fat or fat-free milk over your breakfast cereal
• Have a cup of low-fat or fat-free yogurt
• Drink a glass of calcium-fortified orange juice
• Add low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water to oatmeal and hot cereal

Lunch

• Add low-fat or fat-free milk instead of water to tomato soup
• Add cheese to a sandwich
• Have a glass of low-fat, fat-free, or soy milk with calcium added, instead of soda
• Make mini-pizzas or macaroni and cheese

Snack

• Drink flavored milk like chocolate or strawberry
• Have a frozen yogurt
• Have some pudding made with low-fat or fat-free milk
• Make a "smoothie" with fruit, ice, and low-fat or fat-free milk
• Dip fruits and vegetables into low-fat or fat-free yogurt

Dinner

• Make a salad with dark green, leafy vegetables
• Serve broccoli
• Top salads, soups, and stews with low-fat shredded cheese
• Have a glass of low-fat, fat-free, or soy milk with calcium added

For more information about how calcium benefits your child’s oral health, visit the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Milk Matters Web site at www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/milk.cfm.

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¹According to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, National Academy of Sciences, 1997
²Calcium content varies depending on ingredients for many foods. Check the food labels when you select items to see exactly how much calcium they have.
³Sources for Calcium Food Table: American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 1996; Bowes and Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used, 1998.
⁴% Daily Values have been rounded.
⁵Sources include American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 1996.