Class 3/4 undertook an experiment to discover which liquids are harmful to tooth enamel. They then looked at their own oral health.
Unwrapping and lifting the eggs from their differing liquids caused some 'Ooohs, ahhhs and YUKS!' as funny smells circulated the classroom.
First egg unveiling was water, which we discovered had had no effect on the eggshell (or our psuedo-enamel). Second egg released was soaked in coffee. This one was stained dark brown! Then came milk – again no effect on the enamel. Full marks to water and milk!
Surprisingly the coke-soaked egg was discoloured but the enamel was still fine.
The vinegar egg was disgusting! The shell had totally dissolved and left a rubbery brown bouncy-ball like egg. Similarly the orange juice egg's enamel was also coming away. We concluded that the acid in both of these liquids caused the eggshell to dissolve.
Finally was the turn of sugar-free squash. Now, the enamel was okay so no issues there, but it had left a disgusting coating of we don't know what! all over it. The most yukky by far. It all put us off sqaush!
What a great experiement. So to put it all in context the children then had to chew a dental disclosure tablet to see where plaque was on their teeth and then brush their teeth really well to remove the plaque.
The class started as purple plaque-monsters, but left as shiny pearly white angels!