National Children's Dental Health Month
Each February, the Kansas Dental Association participates in the National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) campaign.
This month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated dental professionals, healthcare providers, and educators to promote the benefits of good dental health to children, their caregivers, teachers, and many others.
"Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth for a healthy smile!" was the theme of the 2018 campaign.
KDA Children's Dental Health Month Campaign
In 2018, the KDA once again held its annual Drawing Contest, as well as the fifth annual Class Project Contest – and ALL third grade students in Kansas were invited to participate!
The KDA Council on Children's Dental Health targets the third grade population because there is already a dental health unit in their science curriculum.
At the beginning of each Spring semester, the KDA sends school nurses and third grade teachers at every elementary school in Kansas an information packet containing contest rules, entry forms, posters, and activity sheets encouraging them to teach about dental health and celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month with their students.
Entries for the contests are then submitted to the KDA office and the Council on Children's Dental Health district chairpersons.
View the winners of the 2018 Drawing Contest and the top 3 winners of the Class Project Contest.
Rewarding Kansas Schools for Promoting Good Dental Health
In 2014, the Council on Children’s Dental Health made the decision to change the Drawing Contest; and award a prize to both the teacher and the winning student.
“In year’s past, a bicycle was awarded to the winning student; however, response had been dwindling and many districts were not receiving any entries at all,” said Niki Sadler, Director of Operations for the Kansas Dental Association.
“The idea was to target those who could actually influence the classroom curriculum. We felt that benefiting the teacher as well as the student, would show the teacher that we appreciate their service. The teacher is the one who makes a difference.”
In addition to the Drawing Contest, the Council created the KDA Class Project Contest, in which third grade teachers can submit a dental health video or other presentation for the chance to win a larger prize – a $500 gift card for 1st place, $250 card for 2nd place, or $100 card for 3rd place.
Once received, the class projects are evaluated and scored by the Council on Children’s Dental Health and KDA staff, then the top three projects are judged by the General Assembly at the Annual Business Meeting.
Contact Us
For more information on the KDA's Children's Dental Health Month campaigns, contact Kylie Fleck, KDA Communications Coordinator.