Friday, February 09, 2007
February is Dental Health Month...
The annual observance of children's dental health began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio on February 3, 1941. During that year, February 3–7 was designated as Children's Dental Health Week in Akron, Ohio.
The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children's Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. This single day observance became a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children's Dental Health Month.
Since 1941, the observance has grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program. NCDHM messages reach millions of people in communities across the country and at numerous armed service bases abroad.
The ADA website has a lot of Dental Health Month resources and activities that you can share with the children as well as a great deal of information about dental health in general.
In addition, tomorrow, February 10th, is Give A Kid A Smile Day. A one-day event like Give Kids A Smile isn’t a cure-all; it’s a wake-up call. People shouldn’t have to depend on charity for basic dental care. It’s time for politicians, parents and others who care to work together toward a solution. Give Kids A Smile is meant to accomplish two things, help children get the dental care they so desperately need AND raise awareness that our children deserve a better health care system that addresses their dental health needs.
We need to educate policymakers and parents that good oral health is integral to overall health. We need commonsense, market-based solutions and other reforms that will encourage more dentists to participate in public health insurance programs.
Here are some more online resources that you can use:
Find some time to celebrate Children's Dental Health Month. This is a great chance to provide learnign opportunities for the children in your care that can provide health benefits for the rest of their lives.
The annual observance of children's dental health began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio on February 3, 1941. During that year, February 3–7 was designated as Children's Dental Health Week in Akron, Ohio.
The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children's Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. This single day observance became a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children's Dental Health Month.
Since 1941, the observance has grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program. NCDHM messages reach millions of people in communities across the country and at numerous armed service bases abroad.
The ADA website has a lot of Dental Health Month resources and activities that you can share with the children as well as a great deal of information about dental health in general.
In addition, tomorrow, February 10th, is Give A Kid A Smile Day. A one-day event like Give Kids A Smile isn’t a cure-all; it’s a wake-up call. People shouldn’t have to depend on charity for basic dental care. It’s time for politicians, parents and others who care to work together toward a solution. Give Kids A Smile is meant to accomplish two things, help children get the dental care they so desperately need AND raise awareness that our children deserve a better health care system that addresses their dental health needs.
We need to educate policymakers and parents that good oral health is integral to overall health. We need commonsense, market-based solutions and other reforms that will encourage more dentists to participate in public health insurance programs.
Here are some more online resources that you can use:
Find some time to celebrate Children's Dental Health Month. This is a great chance to provide learnign opportunities for the children in your care that can provide health benefits for the rest of their lives.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 7:20 PM 
