It was a day to smile about at Adams Elementary in Coon Rapids where a group of first graders learned the ropes of dental hygiene. Delta Dental of Minnesota's VP of Medical Services, Dr. Eileen Crespo, stopped by to give the kids a lowdown on keeping their pearly whites in top shape.
"We want you to always be sure you're using toothpaste, only a little bit," Crespo told the young students, as she handed out oral health kits packed with essentials like toothbrushes, a smidge of floss, a water bottle, and a sand timer to make sure these kids brush for a full two minutes, "They have a new toothbrush, they have a tiny little floss,” Crespo said, according to the City of Coon Rapids' official website.
The green sand timers were a particular hit, with Crespo explaining, "When you are starting to brush your teeth, you'll tip it over and then the sand will take two whole minutes to come down. So you'll be brushing, brushing, brushing all that time and when the sand is done, then you can be done," the website reported from its coverage of the event. Surprisingly, a 2023 survey highlighted a significant lack of oral health education in Minnesota schools, with over half reporting none, bringing to light an issue that the Smiles@School program aims to rectify through initiatives like these.
The scope of this initiative is impressive with the Smiles@School program, funded by the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation prepared to send out over 50,000 dental health kits to first graders in more than 600 schools spread across all 87 counties in the state; "We know that kids really are motivated by routines and that's what they get at school,” Crespo emphasized, and these kits are just one way of reinforcing daily dental routines among the younger population. For many of these kids, this program will be the cornerstone of a lifelong habit of oral health and discipline.
