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LDAassociationSuzanne K. Farrar, R.D.H., M.S.H.C.M.Past President, Louisiana Dental Hygienists’ Associationlouisiana dental hygienists’It’s Time to Educate and Get MotivatedIt’s that time of year again! It is a phrase we useagain and again when we are talking with ourpatients. They know they will be seeing us for theirannual exam. We do our exam and maintenanceand possibly restorations. Then when they leavethey are once again motivated and armed with theirdental armamentarium; a new toothbrush, floss andtoothpaste.As professionals we say to ourselves, ‘It’s that timeof year again.’ February was National Children’s DentalHealth Month. We always plan in our minds whatwe will do far in advance, and then all of a suddenit is upon us. Things have certainly evolved fromthat first celebration and observance of Children’sDental Day. It began as a one-day event in Cleveland,Ohio, on February 3, 1941. Two gentlemen, Dr.Lawrence Graham and Dr. Arthur Heibert, organizedan event to focus on children’s dental health. Not tobe outdone by the people in Cleveland, the Akronpopulation decided to make it an entire week whichspanned from February 3-7, 1941.The idea wasbeginning to catch on. In 1949, the ADA sponsoredChildren’s Dental Health Day on February 9 as anationwide event. By 1955, the program grew to aweek-long affair and finally, in 1981, February wasdubbed National Children’s Dental Health Month(NCDHM) by the ADA.Its purpose was to raise dental education awarenessin the underserved population of children and theirfamilies. Around 20,000 to 40,000 dentists, dentalhygienists and dental auxiliaries joined together some1,500 to 1,700 sites. The sites ranging from largeclinics to schools to individual offices, the dentalprofessionals will try to reach the underserved childrenwith the message that healthy teeth are an integral partof their total health. Since 1941, it has grown from atwo-city event to a nationwide program.So what is the difference between NCDHM andGive Kids a Smile (GKAS)? NCDHM is celebrated allmonth long. Give Kids a smile is part of NCDHM,but is held on the first Friday in February. GKAS wasorganized to provide preventive and restorative care tolow-income children who do not have access to care.It can range from toothbrushing demonstrations in theschool, to a private or public clinic where a dentist anddental hygienist are providing chairside care.What a great opportunity to educate and spread theword and get patients motivated. The ADA’s theme thisyear was “Turn Up Your Smile Power.” The AmericanDental Hygienists’ Association’s theme this year was “AHealthy Smile Lasts a Lifetime.”Remember to inform your patients that the mostcommon chronic childhood disease is tooth decay.Once again I applaud all of the dentists, dentalhygienists, dental auxiliaries and all the other healthcare professionals that have gotten motivated and havegiven their time and resources to a worthy cause.March 27- 28, 2009LDHA Annual SessionHotel Acadiana/Crowne PlazaLafayette, La.May 13, 2009LDHA Lobby DayCapital RotundaBaton Rouge, La.32 LDA Journal