Written by Dr Nigel Carter OBE
The UK’S largest and longest running campaign to promote the benefits of a healthy mouth has been an overwhelming success.
More than 3,000 organisations took part in National Smile Month 2014, organised by the British Dental Health Foundation, a campaign which saw 1,700 community events and activities up and down the country help deliver key oral health messages to members of the public.
Nationwide activities have seen everything from oral health promotion bus tours, school visits, toothbrush amnesties, open days at dental practices, ‘Smiley‘ giveaways and a wealth of local community activity. There was even the very first ‘Smile in Pink for Bridge2Aid‘ day. More than 2,000 dental practices and almost 800 schools supported the campaign.
National Smile Month also managed to deliver messages promoting the importance of a healthy mouth, to the nation through more than 700 newspaper, magazine and radio interviews, as well as several in-store promotions.
I would like to thank each and every individual and organisation that made National Smile Month such a resounding success. If it were not for you, the campaign simply would not happen.
People care about the health of their mouth more than ever. The growing number of links between poor oral health and general health conditions continues to increase. That is why campaigns such as National Smile Month that educate the public about how to go about improving their oral health remains vital.
We have seen a number of key oral health improvements to coincide with the campaign since its formation in 1977. As we take the campaign into the future, I hope we will see even greater improvement in the nation’s oral health.
The campaign also received the backing of the biggest household names in the UK. Platinum sponsors Oral-B, Wrigley, Listerine and Invisalign, as well as support from Philips, Denplan, Tepe and Healthcare Learning, which helped to take the campaign to the high street.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for their role in supporting National Smile Month. With their help the campaign reached some of the biggest retailers in the country including Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy, as well as many local communities. It reflects the strength of the campaign that so many prominent names continue to support National Smile Month, and I look forward to repeating our success in years to come.
Posted on the Blog section of the British Dental Health Foundation Website
Oral Health Foundation
The Oral Health Foundation is a charity that works to improve oral health by providing education, advice, and support to millions of people every year, changing lives for the better. Our mission is to support others in achieving a healthier life through better oral health. Our vision is to live in a world where everybody has a healthy mouth and is free of dental disease. Poor oral health can have a harmful and devastating effect on a person’s life – both for their physical health and mental wellbeing. We are determined to help more people achieve good oral health and have a better quality of life. Sadly, oral disease remains common, across the life course. We are taking the challenge to reduce the harm caused by poor oral health and the responsibility to create a healthier future for everybody. We do this because we believe that everybody deserves to have good oral health. To make sure this happens, by 2024, we will:
-
• Work towards decreasing the prevalence of oral disease across communities.
• Increase the number of people accessing our help and information services.
• Diversify our range of resources to reach more communities.
• Successfully campaign for policies which help people achieve healthier lives.
• Generate new and nurture existing income streams that enable us to deliver our charitable objectives.
-
• Running awareness campaigns like National Smile Month and Mouth Cancer Action Month.
• Giving anybody who needs it direct support through our Dental Helpline.
• Influencing policy on subjects like dental access, sugar, and tobacco.
• Providing consumer advice on oral health care products and working alongside manufacturers to make sure products do what they claim to do.
• Creating resources and information that communicates positive oral health messages.
• Working alongside others who share our passion for health and wellbeing.
Join with Google
Join with Facebook