Everyone deserves a healthy smile this National Smile Month
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 25th March 2022
As dental professionals we know that a healthy smile is an extremely powerful asset. National Smile Month is all about celebrating this, and we want to invite you to sign up now so that you’re ready to take part.
Looking closely at health inequalities, this year’s National Smile Month will have a different focus each week, helping us to address a series of important oral health issues.
The charity campaign will be taking place between 16 May and 16 June, adopting the theme ‘Everyone deserves a healthy smile’.
During these five weeks, we’ll be reaching out to millions of people and targeting some of the most at-need groups in the UK. We’ll be supporting face-to-face community events and online activities, creating a range of downloadable digital assets, and reaching out to the press as part of an exciting drive to give oral health more positive attention in the media. National Smile Month will also be an opportunity for us use your charitable donations to support those most in need through our dental helpline and dental pack distribution.
Below is a breakdown of the different themes we will be covering.
Week 1: The life of a smile
From cradle to grave, the mouth undergoes so many changes during an ordinary lifespan. We’ll be advising patients on how to find and look after their smile throughout all stages of life.
Each day of the week we will focus on one life stage using shareable content for each topic, including digital assets across social media, posters, leaflets, guides, and much more.
Many dental professionals support National Smile Month by visiting schools, workplaces, and care homes. Use this week of National Smile Month to visit people of different ages and tailor advice, workshops, and Q&A sessions to meet their needs and challenges.
Week 2: The importance of the dental team and the cost of a healthy mouth
Throughout this week, we are highlighting the different roles of the dental team and the important work they each do to help give patients a healthy smile and championing regular dental visits to reinforce the message that they can stop many problems in their tracks. We will also show people that a healthy smile is affordable.
This week, you can help us by sharing resources that help patients understand what each member of the dental team does. You can also use this part of the campaign to help educate patients about different oral health products, giving them trusted advice about their benefits, or maybe even have a practice open day.
Week 3: Nutrition
Inequalities impact nutrition at all ages and a healthy, balanced diet is essential for good oral health. We want to urge patients to make healthy swaps, cut down on their sugar intake, and feel empowered to take control over their oral health, promoting a balanced diet. Look out for our videos and recipe cards, which will encourage people to make healthy swaps and show them how easy it can be to do.
Week 4: Oral health around the UK
Where you live has a direct impact on oral health, whether this is due to water fluoridation, family income or NHS dental access.
We fully support UK-wide water fluoridation at the Oral Health Foundation. I have seen the benefits for patients who have access to fluoridated water and it is astonishing. Please help us during this week to raise awareness about the benefits of fluoride and write to your MP to adopt water fluoridation in your local area.
As more people struggle with access to dental care, we want to also raise awareness of all the things they can do at home to manage and even improve their oral health. You could also help connect with patients outside your practice by doing a live Q&A online so patients can ask you any oral health questions.
Week 5: Mouth mind and body
During the fifth and final week of National Smile Month, help us by raising awareness of the connections between the mouth and the rest of the body. The connection between the mouth and the mind is one that many are not aware of. Patients with poor oral health can develop poor self-esteem from this and vice-versa. Motivation, or lack of it, can be detrimental to maintaining an oral health routine and eating disorders can have a drastic impact on the health of a patient’s teeth. We will also look at how the mouth is linked to the rest of the body through conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Sign up to National Smile Month and get access to the campaign’s digital assets. You will also receive lots of ideas about how you can take part in the campaign, including community activities and fundraising events.
Fill out the online form at www.smilemonth.org or email pr@dentalhealth.org.
About the author
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation
