Faster than a dental checkup, stronger than tooth enamel, Tooth Wizard is the hero students of Lake Crest Elementary deserve. Guardian of the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation’s “Land of Smiles,” a program that teaches young children cavity-combating oral health habits, Tooth Wizard’s visit to Lake Crest Elementary helped students and parents with the tools to defeat what the U.S. Surgeon General identifies as the most common chronic childhood disease—tooth decay.
Pitting the heroic Tooth Wizard against his nemesis, PlaqueMan, the captivating performance educated pre-kindergarten through third-grade students about how to fight tooth decay by following the proper methods to brush and floss.
Provided free to schools by the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, the interactive program encourages children to brush, floss and rinse with fluoride. Children also are shown the importance of eating tooth-friendly foods and visiting the dentist regularly. More than half of Illinois third graders have had at least one cavity, a trend the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation aims to reverse.
“‘Land of Smiles’ furthers our mission to improve the oral health of Illinois children,” said Lora Vitek, director of philanthropy and community relations for the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation. “Kids get to have a hand in helping Tooth Wizard vanquish PlaqueMan, learning that they too can triumph over tooth decay by taking care of their teeth.”
Children who participated in the “Land of Smiles” program came away with more than just knowledge of how to take good care of their teeth. They also received a “Land of Smiles” bag containing toothpaste, a toothbrush, floss and oral health booklet. Lake Crest Elementary received a curriculum kit, which will help teachers reinforce good oral health habits in the classroom.
Tooth Wizard has lessons to help parents encourage good oral health habits for children, too:
- Children should brush their teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time.
- Once any two teeth are touching, children should floss their teeth once a day.
- Parents should schedule an appointment with their child’s dentist to place sealants on six-year and 12-year molars as soon as the teeth come in.
“Students are tested before and after the program, and we’ve learned from the results that ‘Land of Smiles’ has a measurable influence on the importance they place on oral health,” said Vitek. “When students chant ‘brush, brush, brush’ to help Tooth Wizard defeat PlaqueMan at the turning point of the program, it’s clear that we’ve made learning about dental hygiene fun and memorable.”
This spring, the “Land of Smiles” program will visit more than 80 Illinois elementary schools, reaching more than 31,000 pre-kindergarten through third-grade students. The program has reached more than 250,000 students at more than 800 Illinois schools in the past eight years.
For those interested in requesting a “Land of Smiles” appearance at their school, visit landofsmilesil.org.
For questions, please contact Lora Vitek at 630-718-4764 or lvitek@deltadentalil.com.
About Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation
The Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation was formed in March 2008 by Delta Dental of Illinois, a not-for-profit dental service corporation with a mission to improve the oral health of the communities it serves. Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois and works to support and improve the oral health of people in Illinois. In the past decade, combined efforts of Delta Dental of Illinois and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation have provided more than $3 million to programs and organizations in Illinois that improve the oral health of the residents of Illinois.
