Walkington Primary School Children Get ‘The Smile Factor’!

National Smile Month 2011 is taking place between 15 May and 15 June and Perfect 32, a NHS and private dental practice in Beverley, is helping to spread the message of good oral health by hosting an event at Walkington Primary School on Wednesday, May 18.

A team from Perfect 32 in Ladygate, which includes a dentist, hygienist and dental nurse, has been asked to start the fun-filled educational afternoon with an assembly for more than 100 Key Stage 1 children.

The team will then join the children in their classrooms to host educational workshops, teaching them about good oral health, brushing instruction using disclosing tablets and an oversized set of teeth, and running a competition for the child with the best smile. They will also hand out National Smile Month goodies such as singing toothbrushes, toothpaste, erasers, bookmarks, balloons, stickers and Frisbees.

The national campaign will focus on putting the smile back on peoples’ faces and help them display their full personalities with the ‘Smile Factor’ campaign – the theme for this year’s National Smile Month. In keeping with this theme, the children will be encouraged to blow up clinical gloves and decorate them as Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole.

The children will also be able to dress up as dentists in masks and goggles and try out their skills with dental mirrors and probes on the oversized teeth.

Perfect 32’s practice manager, Nicki Rowland, said she was very much looking forward to the event.

“We are delighted to get involved in National Smile Month and this educational event promises to get everyone smiling. We hope the children will have a great time learning about good oral hygiene and how it can have a direct impact on their general well-being. The ‘Smile Factor’ theme will really appeal to everyone with the popularity of The X Factor. Children’s oral health can directly influence their ability to learn. According to research, oral health problems can lead to pain, absence from and inability to concentrate at school, failure to thrive and reduced self-esteem. The dental team will be emphasising the “brush, floss, rinse, chew” method which is easy to remember and encourages children to develop a good routine of dental care. We expect the brushing instruction using disclosing tablets to be very messy but great fun!”

National Smile Month, which is now into its 35th year, is the brainchild of the British Dental Health Foundation, the UK’s leading oral health charity. As in previous years, the British Dental Health Foundation will also be raising the awareness of a healthy diet and the link between good oral health and good overall body health.

This year’s National Smile Month retains the British Dental Health Foundation’s three key messages:
•    brush twice-a-day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste,
•    cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks
•    visit the dentist regularly (as often as they recommend).

Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, paid tribute to Perfect 32 for getting involved.

He said: “We are delighted that Perfect 32 has joined the many dental practices, schools, health professionals and community groups promoting good oral healthcare under the umbrella of our National Smile Month campaign.

“A good oral healthcare routine can help guard against all sorts of oral and general health conditions from bad breath and decay to gum disease, which has been linked to a number of more serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and strokes. By promoting good oral healthcare in a fun and imaginative way, we hope to persuade more people of the importance of taking care of their teeth.”