Each February, the American Dental Association sponsors and celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month – which teaches the public about the importance of oral health in early childhood. National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) began as a one day event in Cleveland, Ohio on February 3, 1941, and has since turned into a national observance of oral health. This year, the NCDHM theme is “Choose Tap Water for a Sparkling Smile,” which educates families about the oral health benefits of fluoridated tap water. Try celebrating NCDHM by getting social and festive!
Get Social
Since NCDHM is observed during the entire month of February, you can participate in the national conversation for much longer than some other holidays. This makes social media participation vital. When posting about National Children’s Dental Health month, use the hashtag #NCDHM – which is the official tag for the observance. By tagging your NCDHM posts correctly, you share your social media content with a wider audience that is using or searching for the #NCDHM tag. Also, encourage your young patients (with parental permission) to share photos of them enjoying tap water. You can create a specific post asking your social media followers to participate, and share their responses on your business’ social accounts.
Use #NCDHM for more exposure.
Celebrate In-Office
As a part of hosting NCDHM, the ADA provides a number of free resources to help kids understand oral health in a fun and interactive way. The ADA features coloring sheets, calendar activities, and posters that are all perfect for displaying and sharing in your dental office. We suggest passing out the coloring sheets and encouraging your young patients to complete them, and then sharing their artwork (with parental permission) with your dental office on social media. By doing so, you can create a better relationship between your patients and your practice, but you also get some great social media exposure.
Host a Poster Contest
Another fun way to get kids thinking about NCDHM is by hosting a poster contest! You can host a simple one-week drawing contest that encourages your patients to draw something related to the theme – Choose Tap Water for a Sparkling Smile – and to share it with your practice’s social media account. Be sure to incentivize patient participation by offering a small reward, and share all of your favorite responses. Remind your social media audience of the contest a couple of times per day, and use the #NCDHM tag to generate the most exposure and interaction possible.
Offer a School Presentation
This is a fun way to become more locally involved, and is great for spreading oral health awareness among children. Reach out to a school near your dental practice and offer a class presentation where you can discuss how tap water – and fluoride – help prevent cavities. Aim for kindergarten through fourth grade, since they are typically more receptive to in-class presentations, and they’ll need the most oral health education!
Have Fun with National Children’s Dental Health Month
The most important part if NCDHM is that you have fun and spread oral health awareness among your young patients. You can visit the ADA for more information and supporting materials about NCDHM. If you have any other questions about celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month, contact Smile Savvy. We are the pre-eminent digital marketing agency for pediatric dentists, and we would be happy to discuss marketing strategies that will work for your dental practice.
