FEBRUARY: National Children’s Dental Health Month

AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION

By ADA and Staff Reporters

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Every day should be about children’s dental health

This is the message behind the ADA’s National Children’s Dental Health Month resources for 2025. Observed nationally each February, the recognition brings together thousands of dedicated professionals, health care providers and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers and many others.

The ADA is offering new materials to celebrate and promote the importance of children’s dental health, not only during the month of February, but all year.

Posters and flyers emphasizing the importance of brushing are available for free download in two kid-friendly, topical designs and two sizes, 8.5″x11″ and 11″x17″. Matching coloring sheets are offered in 8.5″x11″. All materials have instructions for proper brushing and are available in English and Spanish from ADA.org/NCDHM.

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In addition, the ADA’s 2025 Brushing Calendar is available for free download. This 12-month calendar is valuable year-round for promoting healthy behaviors like brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to help prevent dental disease. Kids can track their daily brushing and flossing routines and exercise their creativity by coloring the calendar image for each month.

Another tool, the NCDHM Program Planning Guide, provides resources for program coordinators, dental societies, teachers and parents to promote the benefits of good oral health to children. The guide includes easy-to-do activities, program planning tips, a sample NCDHM proclamation and more.

“The sooner children understand the value of good oral health habits, the more likely they are to continue these habits well into adulthood,” said ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S. “The ADA is proud that NCDHM will once again equip some of the most influential figures in kids’ lives — like parents, educators and health care providers — to help set our nation’s kids on the path to a lifetime of healthy smiles and healthier lives.”

National Children’s Dental Health Month observances began with a one-day event in Cleveland and a one-week celebration in Akron, Ohio, in February 1941. Since then, the concept has evolved into a nationwide program.

The ADA held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on February 8th, 1949. The one-day event became a week long event in 1955, and in 1981 the program was extended to a month long celebration known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month.

For questions about NCDHM resources, please email ncdhm@ada.org. For oral health resources, visit MouthHealthy.org.

EDUCATION: Books

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SDOH = Social Determinants of Oral Health

By Staff Reporters

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Social determinants of oral health and tooth loss

A study led by investigators at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine suggested that “machine-learning algorithm models incorporating socioeconomic characteristics were better at predicting tooth loss than those relying on routine clinical dental indicators alone.”

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

Furthermore, new research reported that

  • adults living in urban areas visited the dentist more than those in rural areas
  • women were more likely than men to visit the dentist in both rural and urban areas
  • the number of adult dental visits increased as family income increased
  • non-Hispanic white adults were more likely than Hispanic and non-Hispanic black adults to have a dental visit in urban areas.

Therefore, it is important to consider how disparities in access to and use of dental care impact not only tooth loss but also oral and overall health.

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ORAL HEALTH AND EQUITY

BY NIHCM

INFO-GRAPHIC
Gum disease remains one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States with 46% of adults over 30 showing symptoms. Although significant improvements have been made to improve oral health in America, many people still experience barriers to preventive or essential dental care.

Black Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans, as well as low-income populations, children and pregnant women are at greater risk of oral health diseases. The disparities experienced by these populations have only been exacerbated by the pandemic. 

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Image result for caries

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In this infographic highlights the challenges to achieving optimal oral health and identifies opportunities for advancing health equity moving forward. 

INFO-GRAPHIC: https://nihcm.org/publications/oral-health-health-equity?utm_source=NIHCM+Foundation&utm_campaign=901307447a-Oral_Health_Infographic_091421&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6f88de9846-901307447a-167744768

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