February is Dental Health Month

February 2015 Dental Health Month

In 1950, the American Dental Association along with Congress declared February 6th as National Children’s Health Day. To raise awareness about the importance of a healthy mouth, they decided to devote the entire month of February as “Dental Health Month”. Many schools try to incorporate dental health into their curriculum during the month of February.

In 2003, The American Dental Association decided to join communities throughout the country together to provide dental care for underserved children. They launched the “Give Kids A Smile” program nationally. The program is typically held the first Friday in February. This year it is actually on February 6th. It was designed to provide free dental care for children ages 3-17. Dentists and other team members volunteer their time and services by providing screenings, treatments and education.

Each year approximately 350,000 children benefit from the efforts of 40,000 + volunteers throughout the country. Some communities have added this event at other times during the year.

People can find out more about the “Give Kids A Smile” program by contacting the American Dental Association, or locally through the Minnesota Dental Association. They can provide you with the information on where it is being held in your community. The locations that the event is being held usually start scheduling appointments in January for the event. Newspapers, radio stations, and news stations will promote it a couple of weeks before the event. It’s a great one day program that brings communities together for a good cause.

Remember, February is Dental Health Month, so if you have gotten off track from your routine dental care, get back on track and take care of your family’s health by scheduling a dental appointment. Hope to hear from you soon.