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      Looking after our teeth: review (non-statutory)

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can present information about how sugar in drinks can damage teeth.

      Key learning points

      1. Scientists make careful observations to investigate which drinks are harmful to teeth.
      2. Scientists review data collected from observations and write conclusions.
      3. In a conclusion, scientists often refer to earlier predictions of what they thought was going to happen.
      4. Too much sugar in food or drink can damage teeth. Information about sugar content in drinks can be found on packaging.
      5. Scientists often present data in a graph to help explain their conclusions to other people.

      Keywords

      • Observations - We make observations when we look closely at something and use other senses too.

      • Data - Data is information collected during an investigation. It may be numbers, symbols, pictures or text.

      • Conclusion - In a conclusion, scientists explain what the results show or mean.

      • Sugar - Sugar is used to flavour food and drinks to give them a sweet taste.

      • Graph - A graph is a visual way to display results to make them easy to understand.

      Common misconception

      May believe diet drinks are good for teeth as they don't have sugar in them.

      As children observe the eggshells left in different drinks, they will see that diet drinks can still cause tooth decay and discolouration.

      Teacher tip

      Need to have left the eggs in the liquids from the previous lesson for at least 5 days to see appropriate changes.

      Equipment

      Eggshells in different drinks from previous lesson's investigation.

      Content guidance

      Risk assessment required - equipment

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Food such as sweets, cakes and biscuits often contain lots of ...

      Correct Answer: sugar, Sugar, sugar.

      Q2.
      Which of these things can build up on teeth if you eat lots of sugary food and drink lots of sugary drinks?

      toothpaste
      slime
      enamel
      Correct answer: plaque

      Q3.
      Which of these products help you look after your teeth?

      bandage
      Correct answer: toothbrush
      candy floss
      Correct answer: dental floss
      Correct answer: toothpaste

      Q4.
      Which teeth are your first set that you have as a child?

      permanent teeth
      adult teeth
      Correct answer: deciduous teeth
      first teeth

      Q5.
      Animals have different shaped depending on what type of food they eat.

      Correct Answer: teeth

      Q6.
      What type of investigation is it when scientists look carefully at changes that occur gradually?

      fair test
      pattern seeking
      secondary research
      Correct answer: observation over time
      identifying and classifying

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Too much __________ can cause damage to teeth.

      water
      toothpaste
      Correct answer: sugar
      smiling

      Q2.
      In a conclusion, scientists often refer to earlier of what they thought was going to happen.

      Correct Answer: predictions, prediction, guesses, guess, ideas

      Q3.
      What kind of data could you observe and collect when investigating which drinks cause the most damage to teeth?

      Correct answer: How the eggshells changed.
      How the amount of liquids changed.
      How much the eggs cost.
      How much the drinks weighed.

      Q4.
      Where can you find out about how much sugar a food or drink contains?

      on a calculator
      Correct answer: on the packaging
      on your shopping list
      Correct answer: on a graph

      Q5.
      Using the graph below, put the drinks in order of highest sugar content to lowest sugar content.

      An image in a quiz
      1 - cola
      2 - orange juice
      3 - cordial
      4 - diet cola and water

      Q6.
      When scientists have reviewed the data from an investigation, they write a to explain what their results show and mean.

      Correct Answer: conclusion

      To help you plan your 4 science lesson on: Looking after our teeth: review (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...