Dental Health Week is coming to support children to brush up on dental hygiene practices

Dental Health Week (DHW) is the Australian Dental Association’s (ADA) major annual oral health campaign. It takes place each year in the first full week of August. In 2022, DHW will run from 1 to 7 August. 

The campaign focuses on the importance of taking steps to care for your teeth and gums to help you to keep your teeth and smile for life, using four key messages which aim to reinforce the importance of good oral health: 

1) Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste

2) Clean between your teeth daily using floss or interdental brushes

3) Eat a healthy, balanced diet and limit added sugar intake

4) Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and preventive care.

A DHW resource kit has been developed which contains a DHW event handbook, images and animations for use on social media, along with posters, colouring-in activities, decorative bunting and t-shirt art for printing. 

There are also specific First Nations resources which feature Indigenous artwork commissioned by the ADA.

ADA’s oral health education podcast, Watch Your Mouth, includes easy to understand oral health information that can be listened to on-the-go. The first series focuses on infant and young child oral health, hosted by Jimmy Rees, aka Jimmy Giggle from Giggle and Hoot.

ADA’s children storybook Guardians of the Gums, created together with BeeHealthy Stories and SugarByHalf, tells the battle faced by the Guardians of the Gums as they protect the teeth from sugar and bacteria. 

Read the free e-book HERE. Read the free early childhood e-book HERE.

“It should not be normal to expect that you will need to have some teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum disease. After all, you do not expect to lose an arm or leg, so why expect to lose any of your teeth?” an ADA spokesperson said. 

“Australians should expect to keep their teeth for their lifetime and by following the steps listed above, they can reach this goal.”