Smile!
February is National Children's Dental Health Month. It's a great time to promote the benefits of good oral hygiene that will last a lifetime. The American Dental Association's 2024 campaign slogan is "Healthy Habits for Healthy Smiles!" Visit the 2024 NCDHM Campaign website to download posters and acitivity sheets for kids (like a coloring sheet and a maze), many of which are available in Spanish. Also use this month to read a book selected by the NNLM Reading Club to get the conversation started around the importance of developing good dental health habits including regular dental visits. And be sure to share quality dental and oral care information from NIH and NLM.
Discover MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine, the largest biomedical library in the world. Use Medlineplus.gov anywhere, anytime, on any device - for free - to discover high-quality health and wellness information that is reliable, easy to understand, and free of advertising, in both English and Spanish.
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You also can use MyHeathfinder.gov to learn how to take care of your mouth from young to old. See Take Care of Your Child's Teeth and Oral Health for Older Adults
Discover NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIH is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems.
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the primary NIH organization for research on mouth and teeth, also provides free publications including material on baby teeth, tooth decay, and finding low-cost dental care.
The primary NIH organization for research on Older Adults is the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Because it's important to take care of your teeth as you age, they have easy-to-read information for Taking Care of Your Teeth and Mouth.
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Children's Programming is an effective way to share health information with families. Popular storytimes can include health care books to engage the youngest of learners with fun and enjoyable information.
Terms of use: Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) staff offer these health discussion resources for educational use. The materials included do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author, publisher, or the sponsoring agencies of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).