Did you know?

• February is National Children’s Dental Health month
• Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease.  It is five times more common than asthma.
• Studies have shown that overall general health is greatly impacted by oral health.
• 80% of tooth decay can be found in 25% of all children.
• Studies show that children with untreated dental cavities lose an estimated 52 million school hours a year!
• Decay in the “baby” teeth is a predictor of decay in permanent teeth
• Poor teeth impacts speech, nutrition, economic productivity, ability to learn and concentrate and quality of life
• Childhood decay is preventable with a combination of fluoride, sealants, proper nutrition, and brushing/flossing.

To educate students about proper oral health and healthy snack choices, the Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation is once again funding a fun, educational oral health program to the Kindergarten at the Tomahawk Elementary School.  The programs will presented to the kindergarten classrooms the morning of Wednesday, February 18.  The interactive program teaches children about their teeth and the importance of taking good care of them.  Each student will receive an oral health toolkit; toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and learning activity sheets.  There is even a test that the students can give to their parents to show them what they have learned!

In addition, Wednesday, 2/18 is the day that the dentists from Riley Dental will be screening second grade students for their ability to receive dental sealants.  The sealants will be applied on Thursday, 2/26 starting at 9:00am at Calloway Dental office in Tomahawk by volunteer hygienists.  This valuable prevention is offered to all second grade students at no cost thanks to the generous funding of the Sacred Heart Hospital Health Access Program.

For further information please contact Sue Klemm at the number listed above.