Most successful National Smile Month to date
June saw the close of the British Dental Health Foundation’s (BDHF) National Smile Month for another year, and the charity says it has been the most successful campaign yet.
The nation’s longest-running initiative to encourage the improvement of oral health ran from 18th May to 18th June this year, and saw support from more than 4000 organisations across the UK, including several well-known brands. Wrigley’s Extra, Oral-B, and Invisalign were platinum sponsors for 2015. Over 2500 dedicated oral health events were put on by the dental health community, schools and educators, and the general public, reaching over 5 million patients.
The three key messages National Smile Month promotes are brushing teeth last thing at night and on at least one other occasion with a fluoride toothpaste, cutting down the consumption of sugary foods and drinks, and visiting the dentist regularly, as often as they recommend. Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the BDHF, says that the charity is ‘delighted to see so many people continuing to embrace the campaign’, and is overwhelmed with how successful it has been once again.
‘I have seen the campaign grow year on year and it really takes me back at how far we have come,’ Carter notes, thrilled especially at how the campaign has prompted some major oral health improvements in Britain.
He credits the dental community for spreading the message, and understanding their responsibility to educate the public on the importance of good oral hygiene. Many experts have gone out into local communities to teach people about dental health, going above and beyond simply promoting the campaign from within their practices.
One of the biggest successes this year has been the use of social media to promote National Smile Month, with posts using the hashtag #MySmileySelfie being shared thousands of times.
As next year marks the campaign’s 40th anniversary, Carter is looking forward to seeing everyone ‘go the extra mile’ by doing something special to celebrate the month, as well as continuing to share the message.
