National Smile Month 2019: a campaign to remember
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 12th July 2019
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, reflects on the success of National Smile Month 2019.
At the Oral Health Foundation, we truly believe that developing great oral health is essential for Brits who want to have a happier and longer life. National Smile Month is a huge part of our charity’s activity and is key in giving us a platform to encourage everybody to make healthier lifestyle choices.
The support we have received during the campaign, especially from dental professionals, really encapsulates the spirit in which we hoped people across the country would get involved with the campaign. So many of you have helped us spread awareness of the benefits of good oral health. Hopefully, you have also had a lot of fun while doing it too.
The launch of #habits4life
This year’s campaign has been extra special as we teamed up with our Platinum Sponsor, Philips, to create #habits4life. Throughout the campaign, this concept has been centred around three key messages. These are brushing twice-a-day, developing a balanced diet and visiting the dentist regularly.
All are vital for developing and maintaining good oral health. As we move beyond this year’s National Smile Month, we hope you will help us continue to remind patients of the countless benefits that looking after their oral health can have.
Special thanks also go to Oral-B, GSK and Wrigley who also gave their support to the campaign. We relish working with those who are passionate about raising awareness and driving education around oral health, so we are grateful to have such wonderful sponsors.
Campaign highlights
We always look to encourage everyone who gets involved with the campaign to have fun while they do it. Judging by the activity we have seen over the last month, National Smile Month seems to have fostered healthy smiles across the country.
Efforts to get involved with the campaign have included designing some wonderful posters and displays to present key oral health information in a unique way. Dental practices have hosted events for people in their local community and ventured into schools to help children understand why simple habits like brushing twice each day are essential.
We have been very touched by those who have made commitments to raise money to support our charity. As an entirely self-funded charity, we rely on your support to continue our mission of bringing better oral health to all.
Furthermore, our competitions have also provided plenty of reasons for the nation to show us their smile and I hope the nation will continue to show a healthy smile beyond the conclusion of the campaign.
Moving forward
I would like to encourage the dental profession to continue to promote the messages that National Smile Month is really all about.
Twice daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste, cutting down on sugar and maintaining regular visits to the dentist are a strong foundation for any oral health routine. From that foundation, the British public can build a positive future for themselves, in which they will be less likely to encounter many general health conditions linked to poor oral hygiene.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported National Smile Month 2019. We will be returning next year to spread more smiles and champion the importance of good oral health. I look forward to working with you then.
