Day 51: National Children's Dental Health Month

Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness among families and policymakers about the importance of oral health. It is a time to sharpen our focus on the importance of good oral hygiene as part of a child's overall health status. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

During NCDHM, it is particularly important to raise awareness of the plight of children from low income families, many of whom have difficulty eating, sleeping, paying attention in school and smiling due to rampant dental disease. Tooth decay affects more than 25 percent of U.S. children 2 to 5 years old and 50 percent of U.S. children 12 to 15 years old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ADA urges parents to make sure their children brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, eat a balanced diet and see their dentist regularly to address tooth decay in its earliest stages.

NCDHM messages and materials have reached millions of people in communities across the country. The ADA's themes for this year's National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM) are "A Healthy Smile? It's Easy to Find! Remember to Brush & Floss Everyday!" and "A Healthy Smile Looks Good Up Close."

Tooth decay disease is one of the few preventable health problems today, yet dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease and continues to be a significant health problem. For the children of parents with insurance or financial resources there are dental offices; for families living at or below poverty level, social service programs are available. But, for 1.8 million children of working poor families in Los Angeles County who fall between these other population groups, there is very limited access to dental care

 

The Children’s Dental Center located in Inglewood, California is making a difference for the children who have fallen between the cracks – the children of the working poor who have no other sources for compensated care – by providing them access to quality multidisciplinary dental care.

Their mission is to eliminate dental disease and provide overall health and well-being by providing a dental home with the best integrated programs of preventive, educational and treatment solutions for the growing number of dentally underserved children and their caregivers in Greater Los Angeles. They want to be recognized and trusted as a dedicated leader in the elimination of dental disease, and the premier provider for dentally underserved children's oral health care in Los Angeles.

The Children’s Dental Center’s philosophy remains the same: It is through behavioral change, together with dental care of urgent problems, that the immediate needs are addressed while creating a future of diminished dental need and greater self-esteem for children of the working poor.

Donation: $5

To support The Children’s Dental Center’s, please visit: http://www.toothfairycottage.com/