February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, a time to bring attention to a vulnerable demographic in dentistry. This week, Dentistry 411 will explore how to celebrate the event and use it to connect with your patients.
History
ADA’s monthlong awareness campaign evolved from a single day, first celebrated on February 8, 1949. It wasn’t until 30 years later that it earned its extended schedule. The concept is designed to introduce kids and teens to the world of dentistry, particularly how it can preserve their health. The campaign is especially important in areas still recovering from the lack of care during and after the pandemic.
“When we can get all children to the dentist, create positive experiences at the dental office for them, and start then early with prevention and oral health education, it’s fair to hope that those patterns started in childhood can last a lifetime,” said Elizabeth Simpson, D.M.D., chair of the ADA Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention.
This year’s theme is “Healthy Habits for Healthy Smiles!” Here are strategies and resources for promoting research-backed routines to your young patients and their families.
American Dental Association
As the host group for the campaign, ADA has a library of resources and literature at your disposal. They offer information geared to both kids and their parents. They have PDFs of posters and flyers to display in your office, print and hand out in post-appointment goody bags, or send out digitally to patients. The Give Kids a Smile toolkit is specifically made for multicultural education and features several more educational resources.
There are also activity sheets and coloring pages, a perfect offering to keep little ones occupied in the waiting room. In fact, hands-on literature is research approved, and encourage kids to engage with content directly. Here, you can also find the 2026 brushing calendar, an interactive log to remind kids to brush and floss daily. This can help their parents keep track of this preventative care habit, catching avoidances early.
The organization also shares publicity resources. Their step-by-step guide can help you put together a successful communications campaign for the month to entice patients to book their biannual appointment and inform the public.
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
OHRC highlights the inclusion of maternal, infant, and adolescent healthcare during the month. Their website is full of infographics and resources, for providers and consumers. A few brochures can be especially helpful for soon-to-be and first-time parents, as they set up solid foundations of dental care. The organization also featured videos made for children. They cover topics like proper brushing techniques, taught by Sesame Street’s Elmo, and the perfect amount of toothpaste.
Office managers can find free-to-use media toolkits and outreach tools. The content is prepped and ready to go, cutting the stress of planning a month-long campaign. Organize these ready-to-send posts and press releases into a comprehensive social media campaign and bring positive attention to your practice.
Raising Awareness
So, you have all the links and shareable PDFs, now what? The point of the month is to raise awareness. After all, we can’t treat patients if they don’t make appointments in the first place. Keeping this year’s theme in mind, consider ways to communicate the importance of preventative care, and how healthy habits reinforce that.
Think about your patients, both existing and potential. What’s the best way to reach them? Are they especially responsive to email blasts? Do they love supporting your posts on social media? Once you are familiar with what already works, design a communications campaign around it!
As we mentioned before, several trusted sites are sharing accessible information for outreach. While you don’t have to come up with content from scratch, you can use what’s provided and customize it to your office. For example, you could use the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Radio PSA script to come up with your own for a short clip to share via social media.
If you’re looking for more hand-on ways to contribute, ADA’s Give Kids a Smile is a foundation to promote health through philanthropy. It consolidates events for the month, making it easy for dentists and practices to participate. Explore the Give Kids A Smile website for events to volunteer at or register your own event. The site can be used for professionals looking to get involved and for parents seeking care for their children.
Awareness is about meeting people where they’re at and giving them tools to succeed. Parents want their kids to be healthy and, as professionals, it’s our job make that possible. National Children’s Dental Health Month can be a critical tool in creating good habits that protect kids in the long run.
