HealthySmileLearning: Teach Kids Oral Health

Delta Dental of Arizona and AZPBSkids LEARN! are pleased to announce the launch of HealthySmileLearning.org, a FREE resource site in both English and Spanish for parents, caregivers, children, and teachers featuring family friendly videos, resources and classroom curriculum focused on oral health. The user-friendly site offers information a wide range of topics, including videos and tips to prepare children for visiting the dentist; best bets for brushing and flossing directly from a registered dental hygienist; nutrition and oral health; and the connection between oral health and overall health. There are even pages within the site dedicated to learning about animals’ teeth and careers in oral health.

“Tooth decay is the number one chronic disease among children, but it is nearly 100% preventable. In addition, children who have poor oral health often miss more school and receive lower grades than children who do not,” said Barb Kozuh, executive director of Delta Dental of Arizona. “Through HealthySmileLearning.org, we are providing a path to better health and wellness for Arizona’s children by arming their parents, caregivers and educators with tools to teach children about importance of oral health to keep them healthy their entire lives.”

For teachers, every lesson plan provided includes objectives, an overview of materials needed, introductions, class discussions and activities. There are specific plans based on grade level ranging from kindergarten to 8^th grade, and each plan is accompanied by handouts, videos and both pre- and post- tests with answer keys to assess comprehension.

“Good oral health is vital to healthy outcomes for children and is more challenging for rural communities. We began educational outreach with Delta Dental of Arizona to promote healthy teeth across the state to children in rural areas through special events in 2022," said Mi-Ai Parrish, interim general manager of Arizona PBS. "This site is an outcome of the success of these events, which led us to embrace creating an easily accessible way to share this with all Arizona families and educators."

For more information, visit www.healthysmilelearning.org.

Healthy Smile Learning website now live.Photo byDelta Dental of Arizona