NATIONAL CHILDREN ’ S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH 2024
By Zsofia Kandrot Communications Coordinator
This year , the American Dental Association ( ADA ) coined the slogan , “ Healthy Habits for Healthy Smiles ” for February ’ s National Children ’ s Dental Health Month ( NCDHM ).
PDA distributed information about the annual promotion and our poster contest to elementary schools and member dentists statewide beginning in January . In addition , we also used our social media channels and various emails to let schools and families know about the contest . PDA ’ s electronic lesson plan kits contained information geared toward third-grade students , classroom activities , coloring sheets and interactive games . Close to 1,000 complimentary posters were distributed to public and private schools , as well as member dentists who requested them to display in their offices and to take to events .
Around the State
Project HOME
1 DISTRICT
On February 15 , a children ’ s oral health event was held at Project HOME ’ s Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs in Philadelphia . Erica Alexander , RDH , a dental hygienist for Project HOME , led this event . Topics discussed included brushing , flossing and healthy eating . Children had time to interact and play educational dental health games and were given the opportunity to use all of the information they learned throughout the day to participate in PDA ’ s annual poster contest .
Project HOME works to “ empower adults , children , and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty , to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty , and to enable all of us to attain our fullest potential as individuals and as members of the broader society .” ( We featured Project HOME in our January / February 2024 issue , pages 14-17 )
MAY / JUNE 2024 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 21