AMERICA’S TOOTHFAIRY & HOSA: RAISING THE OPTICS & CONVERSATION ON CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH Shannon D. Weatherly National Director, Youth Programs

HISTORY OF AMERICA’S TOOTHFAIRY  Founded in 2006 as a collaborative of clinicians, academicians, corporate leaders and other stakeholders  Located in Charlotte, NC  Mission is to eliminate pediatric dental disease  Focuses on children in vulnerable populations  Works to address children’s overall health by focusing on oral health  Provides education opportunities to increase oral health literacy  Supports efforts to increase access to oral healthcare

THE ISSUE OF CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH IN AMERICA  Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic childhood conditions in the US  20% of children (5-11) have at least 1 untreated decayed tooth; 13% of adolescents (12-19) have at least 1 untreated decayed tooth  Untreated tooth decay affects low-wealth children twice as much as those in higher income households  Children who brush their teeth daily with fluoride toothpaste have less tooth decay Source:

TOOTH DECAY IS 100% PREVENTABLE  Children living in communities with fluoridated water have less tooth decay  Children with access to fluoridated oral healthcare products (e.g., toothpaste, rinse) have less tooth decay  Dental sealants reduce tooth decay in permanent molars by 81% for 2 years after applied with effectiveness lasting up to 4 years  Fluoride varnish prevents tooth decay in primary teeth by 33% Source:

PROGRAMS OF AMERICA’S TOOTHFAIRY  Professional Programs  Network Affiliates  Esther Wilkins Education Program  Product Donation  Oral Health Zones  Students United with America’s ToothFairy  Tomorrow’s Smiles  Practice of Distinction  Smile Drive  Youth Programs, which includes the #MySmileMatters Youth Movement

YOUTH PROGRAMS: #MYSMILEMATTERS YOUTH MOVEMENT  A set of programs aimed at engaging youth as the voice of children’s oral health  Includes the #MySmileMatters National Youth Engagement Plan  Social media driven  Looks at the whole child/whole community  Inclusive of oral health literacy, access to care and connection of overall health to oral health  Everything from using the ToothFairy 101 Community Education Kit to planting a #toothfriendly garden to feed children and families in need

YOUTH PROGRAMS: #MYSMILEMATTERS NATIONAL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PLAN Four Steps:

YOUTH PROGRAMS: TOOTHFAIRY 101 COMMUNITY EDUCATION KIT Free to HOSA chapters engaging in the #MySmileMatters Youth Movement Register online that you are a #MySmileMatters Engagement Plan user Register for Kit (must meet Kit criteria) Kit includes: A magnetic board Magnets Giant toothbrush Tips from the ToothFairy Laminated charts/pictures 275-page curriculum (also in Spanish) Pre- and Post-Tests (also in Spanish) 5 Core Lesson Packet (also in Spanish) Supplement for Youth & Young Adults with Special Needs (also in Spanish) Activity/Coloring Sheets

YOUTH PROGRAMS: ENGAGING WITH HOSA  All HOSA--All the time  Grant proposal w/ UCal-Berkeley to RWJF to have HOSA chapters participate in the development of a water fountain assessment protocol to be used across the US (10/4)  Need 16 chapters across the US Census Bureau Regions  $200 incentive for each chapter  If funded for the larger grant, HOSAs will be the go-to group and will involve the original 16 and many more  Grant proposal to engage HOSA chapters in IN, OH, NC, and MI in oral health literacy and access efforts (October)  More to come

YOUTH PROGRAMS: SOUTH DAKOTA HOSA

YOUTH PROGRAMS: SOUTH DAKOTA  iPad contest  Partnered with local retired dentists  Smile Drives  Outreach Lessons w/ Kit  Product deliveries to local organizations  Dance-A-Thon

YOUTH PROGRAMS: SOUTH DAKOTA’S SMILE DRIVES  2014 Smile Drive totals  420 toothbrushes  326 toothpastes  225 units of floss  129 units of mouth rinse  2015 Smile Drive totals  10,447 toothbrushes  817 toothpastes  20 units of floss  3 units of mouth rinse 2016 Smile Drive Challenge Triple the HOSA Chapters hosting Smile Drives 22  66 Double the HOSA Smile Drive Collection 20,592  41,148 *SD HOSA collected 11,287 of the total in 2015

YOUTH PROGRAMS: INCENTIVES & AWARDS  Last Year:  3 out of 5 National Youth Award Winners were HOSA students ($900)  Travel stipends to HOSA youth for NLC travel ($1100)  HOSA Dentistry Scholarship ($1000)  This Year:  #MySmileMatters Mini-Grant (due 9/30; total of $7000 available)  Additional grants solely open to HOSA chapters (starting at $3200)  Global Youth Service Day grant via YSA (up to $5000)  Youth of the Year Award ($1000)  Youth on the Rise Award ($300)  HOSA Dentistry Scholarship ($1000)

YOUTH PROGRAMS: GET THIS GRANT!  #MySmileMatters Mini-Grant Program  2 grants for $3000  1 grant for $1000  Deadline Extended: Due 9/30 at 3pm EDT to  Use the #MySmileMatters Engagement Plan to write the grant  Should focus on effort to increase oral health literacy and access to oral healthcare

SO WHAT’D WE LEARN TODAY?  America’s ToothFairy is highly dedicated to the engagement of youth to increase oral health literacy & access to oral healthcare  #MySmileMatters was built to be an easy-to-engage movement with its National Engagement Plan & mini-grants  Children’s oral health is under the radar…and youth, especially those dedicated to health professions, can change the optics & conversation around this problem  Regardless of the health profession a HOSA student chooses…just look in the mouth  There is a significant shortage of dental professionals  We all have teeth…and all of those teeth are susceptible to tooth decay

QUESTIONS?  Shannon Weatherly  National Director, Youth Programs  America’s ToothFairy: National Children’s Oral Health Foundation    