Week 4 = Protect
Spot the Sugar.
24 – 31 August 2026
Spot it, swap it. Find the hidden sugar.
This week for National Oral Health Month, schools across the country are invited to become Sugar Detectives.
The mission is simple: look closely at everyday foods and drinks, find where sugar may be hiding, and learn how small swaps can help protect teeth.
Students are encouraged to think critically about what they eat and drink each day, and to start recognising patterns in their own lunchboxes, snacks, and drinks.
Sugar can hide in foods and drinks that do not always taste very sweet, such as flavoured yoghurts, muesli bars, breakfast cereals, sauces, and even some breads. It can also appear on food labels under different names, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, fruit concentrate, or maltose. That is why learning to spot hidden sugar is an important step in protecting healthy smiles and building lifelong healthy habits.
Find the activities
Download the Week 4 activities below and use them in class, at home, or as part of a school health activity. These activities are designed to be fun, interactive, and curriculum-friendly, supporting learning in health education, science, and maths (through counting and comparing sugar amounts).
Only 57.3% of 5-year-olds are free from tooth decay before they start school.
"Small swaps today can protect smiles for life."
Activities & Fact Sheets
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Activity 1: Healthy Smile Maze
Help the Sugar Detectives find the healthy smile by following the tooth-friendly foods through the maze. Avoid the sugary treats and see if you can make it from START to END.
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Activity 2: Spot the Sugar
Become a Sugar Detective! Search the picture, count the hidden sugary foods and drinks, and see if you can find them all.
The Week 4 fact sheets support simple conversations about hidden sugar, tooth decay and healthier swaps. They are designed for both classroom use and to be shared with whānau to extend learning into the home.
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Fact Sheet 1: Spot the Sugar – Are You Eating More Than You Think?
Learn where sugar can hide in everyday foods and drinks, and what names to look for on food labels.
This fact sheet also supports label-reading skills and encourages students to become more informed consumers.
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Fact Sheet 2: Swap the Sugar – How Sugar Affects Your Teeth
Learn how sugar affects teeth over time and how small swaps can help protect your smile.
It explains how bacteria in the mouth use sugar to produce acids that weaken tooth enamel, leading to decay, and highlights simple ways to reduce this risk.
Request printed resources:
Contact anishma@nzda.org.nz for more information.
Competitions
Schools can enter the Week 4 spot-the-sugar competitions in two ways.
1. Build a Sugar Wall
Create a classroom, year group or whole-school display showing how much sugar is in common foods and drinks. This activity encourages students to visually compare sugar content and better understand how quickly sugar can add up throughout the day.
Your Sugar Wall could include:
drink bottles, juice boxes or snack packets
teaspoons or sugar cubes showing the amount of sugar
food label examples showing different names for sugar
smile-friendly swaps, such as water, plain milk, cheese, fruit or vegetables
student posters, drawings or Sugar Detective tips
interactive elements such as “guess the sugar” challenges or student reflections
To enter the Sugar Wall competition:
Take a clear photo of your Sugar Wall display
Email the photo to register@nzda.org.nz
Include your school name, year level or class name, and a contact person
You can also post your Sugar Wall photo on Facebook and tag @nzdahealthysmiles
Use the hashtags:
#Protect
#NOHM26
Two schools will be selected to win $500 each for their school library.
2. Complete the Spot the Sugar class activities
Schools can also enter by completing the Week 4 activities in class.
Students can complete either:
Healthy Smile Maze or Spot the Sugar
To enter the activity competition:
Complete the activity sheet in class. Teachers or parents can send a photo or scanned copy of completed student activity sheets to register@nzda.org.nz
Include your school name, year level or class name, teacher/contact person, and contact email address.
You can also post a photo of the completed class activities on Facebook and tag @nzdahealthysmiles
Use the hashtags:
#Protect
#NOHM26
Students who complete and submit an activity sheet will go in the draw to win individual prizes.
Individual prizes include:
2 × Prezzy cards of $100 each
Classes of 10 or more that take part will also go in the draw to win class prizes.
Class prizes include:
A contribution of $250 towards a team-building activity or team lunch
All entries close 31 August 2026.