PLAN NOW FOR NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
FEBRUARY 2020
From its humble beginnings as a one-day program in Cleveland, Ohio on February 3, 1941, National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM) has grown to a month-long event focusing nationwide attention on the oral health of children. In 1981, the American Dental Association named February as NCDHM, encouraging dentists, other health care providers, educators, teachers, legislators, and others to alert children and their caregivers to the importance of oral health, and to emphasize preventive measures to help children keep their teeth for their entire lifetime.
A cornerstone of NCDHM is Give Kids a Smile Day (GKASD), a nationwide initiative that allows dental offices a practical way to participate in the effort to keep kids free of dental disease through hands-on dental treatment and preventive education. Tooth decay is the Number 1 chronic disease affecting children in the U.S. Left untreated, tooth decay can cause a variety of health problems into adulthood. GKASD and NCDHM together help children break the dental disease cycle.
It is vitally important to support the programs that serve children in your area with quality oral health care and preventive education, and now is the time to plan how you and your team will participate in GKASD and NCDHM in your community.
The NCDHM campaign slogan for 2020 is Fluoride in water prevents cavities! Get it from the tap! Materials to support community programs are available from the ADA, including a 12" by 18" poster with English on the front and Spanish on the back, activity sheets for children, a planning guide, publicity suggestions, and resources to help you publicize your oral health messages, activities, and events.
So join the effort to make dental disease in children a thing of the past.
And be sure to check out our Free Resources for Your Practice for additional insights, information, and practice management tips.
No comments:
Post a Comment