Free, Online Teaching Resource Promotes Oral Health in Schools
By Jayne Hopson
(Source Baltimore Times):
In 2000, the Surgeon General issued a national call to action to address the “silent epidemic” of dental disease in children. Today, “pediatric dental disease (severe tooth decay) remains the most prevalent chronic disease affecting children in America,” says The Tooth Fairy, a children’s dental health advocacy group.
The nonprofit organization’s name may bring a smile, but their belief is informed by troubling dental health statistics, underscoring the urgency of their mission. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation: 51 percent of elementary school students have cavities, five times more children experience cavity-related absences than their peers with asthma, and other chronic illnesses. Further, it is estimated that 34 million school hours are lost each year related to dental problems.
The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) program and Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) announce the development of the Paste Time Educator Toolkit, a free, online educational teaching resource to help educators include oral health education in their curriculum. The toolkit continues the partnership between BSBF and HHPH, which released the bilingual song, “Paste Time,” an educational tool that teaches key elements of good oral hygiene to children and their families.
The Paste Time Educator Toolkit was developed by health and education experts, with input from Hip Hop Public Health’s Educator Review Group. The curricular resources are aligned with National Health Education Standards, National Physical Education Standards, and Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) core competencies.
The toolkit aims to help educators teach students about the importance of good oral health, which is especially critical as the World Health Organization estimates that 514 million children suffer from caries in primary teeth. In the United States, caries is the most common chronic disease of childhood. While preventable, untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that could lead to problems eating, speaking, playing, and learning.
“Every single day, educators are out there, doing incredible work, empowering young people with the lifelong skills they need to champion their health,” said Lindsey Harr, Chief Programs and Operations Officer for Hip Hop Public Health. “That’s why we’ve created the Paste Time Educator Toolkit – where music takes center stage to make oral health education engaging and fun. Our vision is that the lesson plans, classroom activities, and family-oriented take-home materials will help teachers and caregivers inspire children to brush their teeth every day and understand the benefits of good oral health.”
“When we think about oral health and its connection to our overall health and wellbeing, we cannot leave any stone unturned in terms of reaching children and their families to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes,” explained Dr. Gillian Barclay, Senior Vice President Global Oral Health and Scientific Affairs, Colgate-Palmolive Company and a Hip Hop Public Health Board Member.
“As a medium, music makes messages memorable, and both Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures and Hip Hop Public Health are laser-focused on promoting health literacy in a manner that is relevant to the communities we serve and helps create brighter futures,” said Dr. Barclay.
Hip Hop Public Health is an internationally recognized organization that creates research-based educational resources by harnessing the power of music and culture to improve health in communities that are underserved. It has a 15-year track record of using an evidence-based framework for health promotion and behavior change.
All of Hip-Hop Public Health’s 200+ educational resources are available to stream for free, removing access barriers for teaching, learning and health literacy. The Paste Time video was produced and composed by Q. Worth and co-writer BJ Gray. In addition to Doug E. Fresh and Dr. Olajide Williams of Columbia University, a world-renowned leader in community-based behavioral intervention research, the song features youth artist Heaven and Dr. Monique “Docta Mo Flow” Hedmann-Maxey.
Since it was established in 1991, Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® program has reached more than 1.6 billion children in more than 100 countries with oral health education. The program strategically partners to reach underserved children and their families where they are born, live, learn, work and play.
BSBF continues to promote health equity, optimal health, and wellbeing, and to lead global social impact efforts that empower children and families to achieve healthy and bright futures. In the U.S., BSBF dental vans are based in hub cities and travel to rural and urban communities to help raise awareness about the importance of children’s oral health.
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