Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children: A PA Medical/Dental Partnership

05/01/2026

😁🦷 Celebrate National Smile Month! 🦷😁

A healthy smile is more than just bright teeth—it’s an important part of overall health and confidence! National Smile Month is a great reminder to practice good oral hygiene and encourage healthy habits for the whole family.

✨ Smile-Friendly Tips:
🪥 Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
🧵 Floss daily to clean where your toothbrush can’t reach
🥦 Choose tooth-healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, cheese, and yogurt
💧 Drink water instead of sugary drinks
👩‍⚕️ Visit your dental professional regularly for checkups and cleanings

For children, developing good habits early helps protect their teeth and sets them up for a lifetime of healthy smiles!

Let’s celebrate by sharing your best smile and committing to great oral health habits! 😄

04/13/2026

🦷✨ Happy Dental Hygienist Appreciation Week! ✨🦷

This week we celebrate the amazing dental hygienists who keep our smiles healthy and bright. From gentle cleanings to patient education and compassionate care, your dedication makes a lasting difference in the lives of every patient you serve.

Thank you for your hard work, attention to detail, and commitment to promoting healthy smiles every day. Our team—and our patients—are so grateful for everything you do! 💙
👏 Join us in celebrating our incredible dental hygienists this week!

03/18/2026

🥦🦷Celebrate National Nutrition Month: Healthy Smiles Start with Healthy Foods!🦷🥕

March is National Nutrition Month, the perfect time to remind families that what children eat doesn’t just fuel their bodies—it also helps build strong teeth and healthy smiles!

👶 Tips for Kids’ Oral Health Through Nutrition:
✅ Choose tooth-friendly snacks like cheese, yogurt, apples, carrots, and nuts
💧 Encourage kids to drink water instead of sugary drinks or juice
🍓 Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables for essential vitamins that support gums and teeth
🥛 Include calcium-rich foods like milk, yogurt, and leafy greens to strengthen developing teeth
🍬 Limit sticky or sugary snacks that can lead to cavities
🪥 Don’t forget: Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and visit your dental professional regularly.

Healthy eating habits today help children build strong teeth, healthy bodies, and confident smiles for life!

03/16/2026

A huge thank you to Dr. Brian Jenssen (CHOP), and Dr. Angel Stout, one of our dedicated Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children (HTHC) Chapter Oral Health Advisors, for putting together an outstanding oral health presentation for this year’s PA AAP Annual Conference. Thank you to Dr. Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, another one of our Oral Health advisors, for moderating the session.

Although Dr. Angel couldn't join us, our Oral Health Program Manager, Jackie, was happy to cover and keep the conversation going. It was a privilege to share the room with so many pediatricians who are passionate about making oral health a priority for their patients.
To everyone who engaged with us—thank you! We love seeing the enthusiasm for pediatric oral health grow every day.

✨ Want to learn how we can help your practice? Reach out to us at hthc@paaap.org to get started!

02/24/2026

To wrap up National Children’s Dental Health Month, we’re excited to showcase our Oral Health Story Kits 2.0 in action! 🦷✨

📚 13 Oral Health Story Kits delivered to libraries across Berks County
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 30+ community members engaged across two events
🦷 19 children received on-site dental screenings

But the real impact goes beyond the numbers. These events were filled with dental-themed stories, hands-on crafts, and interactive songs that made learning about oral hygiene fun and memorable for both kids and parents.

A big thank you to PA Coalition for Oral Health for providing their acid demonstration kits and sugar-sweetened beverage campaign available for libraries to borrow from the Berks County Public Library System.

We’re also deeply grateful to the Berks County Community Foundation for funding and championing this project. 💙

📖 Interested in bringing an Oral Health Story Kit to your library?
Email us at hthc@paaap.org to learn how your branch can get involved!

02/20/2026

📣 Reach Children Where They Are — At School!

Good oral health supports overall health, learning, and confidence. That’s why the SPOT Toolkit from Healthy Teeth Healthy Children helps schools and healthcare professionals bring oral health education directly into children’s daily routines.

🦷 **What’s included in the SPOT Toolkit?**
✔️ Easy-to-use oral health education materials
✔️ Classroom activity ideas
✔️ Resources for school professionals
✔️ Guidance for integrating oral health into everyday school activities
✔️ Support for implementing a topical fluoride varnish program

HTHC provides resources not just for pediatricians, but for school nurses, teachers, and administrators who want to make oral health part of the school day.

💡 Interested in starting a topical fluoride varnish program at your school? We can help every step of the way!

Learn more and access the toolkit here:
🔗 https://healthyteethhealthychildren.org/toolkit/

02/13/2026

🦷 Looking to integrate oral health into your pediatric practice? Healthy Teeth Healthy Children (HTHC) has a program designed just for you.

Our Oral Health in Your Office training equips pediatric and prenatal clinicians and their teams with the tools to:

✔️ Conduct pediatric oral health screenings & risk assessments
✔️ Apply fluoride varnish (through age 21)
✔️ Navigate oral health coding & billing
✔️ Coordinate dental referrals
✔️ Access ongoing technical assistance

Delivered through the EPIC (Educating Physicians in the Community) model, this interactive 60-minute Lunch & Learn is available on-site or virtually at no cost across Pennsylvania. Trainings are open to clinicians, staff, residents, and medical students.

📊 Since 2011, HTHC has delivered 360+ trainings, reaching 4,200+ medical providers and allied health professionals in over 75% of PA counties.

🎓 Participants receive 1.0 CME credit (through UPMC).

Learn more: https://healthyteethhealthychildren.org/

02/06/2026

Improving oral health literacy is paramount to Healthy Teeth, Healthy Children. We are pleased to announce the relaunch of our Oral Health Story Kits! Included: updated resources for libraries to easily integrate into story times, crafts, a community engagement guide and the exciting opportunity to host a dental screening event! Check out some upcoming events below:

🦷 Monday, February 9, 2026, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library: https://ow.ly/8zrw50Y8SgS

🪥Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 10:00am - 1:00pm
Village Library of Morgantown: https://ow.ly/avSP50Y8SgT

Don't miss out! Big smiles start with smart habits! When kids understand why oral care matters, healthy teeth become a superpower! 💪✨
🦷😁

Event Timing: February 18, 2026 10 am - 1 pm Event Address: 207 N Walnut St Morgantown, PA 19543 Contact us at (610) 286-1022 or smolibrary@gmail.com

02/02/2026

🦷 Happy National Children’s Dental Health Month! 💙
Throughout February, we'll be spotlighting our projects and sharing resources to promote healthy smiles for kids—because children’s oral health matters every month of the year. We invite you to explore and share these resources to help spread the word about the importance of children’s oral health. Together, we can make a lasting impact on lifelong healthy habits!

01/22/2026

Free Dental Screenings for Children 😁✨🦷
When: Monday, February 9, 2:00-4:00pm
Where: Bethel-Tulpehocken Public Library
8601 Lancaster Avenue
Bethel, PA 19507
Register today: https://events.getlocalhop.com/free-dental-screenings/event/6YZZbcrAVY/

01/13/2026

Happening today: Oral Health Key Messages for Head Start Staff to Share with Families 🪥🦷
Tuesday, January 13 (2 to 3pm EST)
Register here:

This webinar focuses on key oral health messages for Head Start staff to share with families, including limiting foods and drinks with added sugar, drinking water throughout the day, having a dental visit by age 1, and developing and following practices to maintain good oral health during pregnancy....

12/16/2025

Looking to promote bright and healthy smiles in your classroom? Check out this helpful resource on toothbrush guidance for safe use, handling, cleaning, and storage of toothbrushes in group settings!
Download the full resource here:https://mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/toothbrush-guidance.pdf

PA AAP incorporates this guidance into our program resources designed for school professionals (SPOT) and child care providers (ECELS).
Learn more about how we’re using these tools:
SPOT: healthyteethhealthychildren.org/toolkit
ECELS: https://www.ecels-healthychildcarepa.org/resources-new/oralhealth

Handout produced by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center at Georgetown University