Member Article

Dental superheroes deliver a special oral hygiene message

SUPERHEROES need super teeth…that’s the message going into West Yorkshire classrooms with a strong new lesson in oral hygiene!

Town Hall Foundation, the charitable arm of leading West Yorkshire dental practice Town Hall Dental, has launched a new oral health campaign to provide dental education to children with autism and learning difficulties through a fun, interactive process.

Central to the campaign is a new book - Super Smiles for Superheroes - which helps children view oral health hygiene in a positive manner, teaching them how to brush their teeth properly, how long to brush their teeth for and what foods can do the most damage to good oral hygiene.

The vision for the book was created by Town Hall Chief Operating Officer and Director Rachel Dilley, who saw the need to create something that specifically met the needs of special educational needs children.

It was created with the support of Huddersfield-based One17 Charitable Trust, which worked alongside Rachel to develop and print the book.

And taking the message into the wider community, Town Hall Foundation launched the Super Smiles for Superheroes campaign with a visit to Woodley School and College, a special education needs school in Huddersfield.

And as well as hearing the vital oral health message from the Town Hall team, the school received a gift bag, including a copy of the new book, a poster and stickers, toothbrush, toothpaste and a brushing timer, to be used as a classroom resource to further support the school’s oral health education sessions.

“One of our goals as a foundation is to provide education to children with autism and learning difficulties through a fun, interactive process,” said Rachel, who helped present the session.

“We believe that educating oral health care to children early has a considerably positive impact on their oral health routines during development.

“The book helps children view oral health hygiene in a positive manner and we want to re-enforce the message that visiting the dentist is a positive experience.

“By giving children a positive impression through our book, we aim to change any negative mindsets and reduce any fears that they may have.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Highfield .