Every year, February is observed as National Children’s Dental Health Month. It’s a month that raises public awareness about the importance of regular dental care by dental health professionals, as well as the importance of regular brushing and flossing. Parents, teachers, and caregivers should emphasize to children the importance of taking care of their dental health.

Oral health is important for a person’s overall well-being and health, but unfortunately, over half of children will have a cavity in their primary teeth by the age of 8, and on average, over 34 million school hours are lost due to emergency dental care. This highlights the importance of this month quite nicely and why more people should be observing it.

The History of National Children’s Dental Health Month

This month was first created by the American Dental Association on February 8th, 1949. They created this holiday to raise public awareness about the importance of oral health care. Even after over seven decades, this month still proves itself one that is worthy of being observed every year.

Approximately 25% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 currently have at least one cavity, and over $45 billion in U.S. productivity is lost due to untreated dental diseases.

Serious Statistics About Oral Health

We thought it would be prudent to go over some of the statistics that we learned about oral health and list them below. We feel the following statistics will help underline how important it is for people to take care of their teeth and gums.

• Over 95% of Americans view their oral health as an important part of their overall health.
• Only about 65% of all Americans have dental benefits.
• Regular and diet soda can cause significant damage to a person’s teeth.
• It’s recommended that a person brushes for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
• A recent study shows that many Americans only brush their teeth for 70 seconds a day.

Observing National Children’s Dental Health Month

There are several ways that people can celebrate this month with their children. The first way is to schedule an appointment for their child with a dentist. Parents should also ensure that their children are using proper brushing techniques and are brushing for a sufficient amount of time.

Parents can also ensure that their children have new toothbrushes on this day. And finally, people can use the hashtag #ChildrensDentalHealthMonth to spread the news about this month.