British Dental Health Foundation
National Smile Month is the UK’s largest oral health campaign starting on the 20th of May and continuing to the 20th of June. It is organised by the independent charity, the British Dental Health Foundation, and it has been running since 1976. The campaign aims to educate people about the importance of greater oral health and the benefits of it. Dr Nigel Carter, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation says: ‘This year’s National Smile Month aims to inspire more people to take on board the three key messages for good oral health – brush twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste; cut down on how often you have sugary food or drinks and visit the dentists regularly as recommended’. Dr Jamie Newlands, the clinical director of the Berkeley Clinic, adds: ‘National Smile Month is a great campaign that highlights the importance of a healthy smile. Without smiling where would we be’? The research suggests that healthy smile can boost confidence and reduce stress levels.
Council of European Dentists suggests that oral health is an integral part of general health and the two cannot be tackled separately. Every year the national project encourages local communities, practices and individuals to take part and help to promote greater oral health. Here, at the Berkeley Clinic, you can learn more about the benefits and importance of good oral health. A number of our patients have already participated in the campaign including famous singers such as Paolo Nutini and Shane Fillan.
Dr Mike Gow, an award winning dentist at Berkeley Clinic, says: ‘The dental team delivers messages about the importance of good oral health and how to achieve it every day of the year to their patients. National smile month helps to give the dental team easy access to excellent information and ideas on how they can improve on how to do this. There are also ideas from the campaign on how to spread these messages to the wider community. I believe it is an excellent campaign as not only does it do this, but it also promotes dentistry itself in a positive way. In my work, I recognise the huge importance that this campaign has especially for people with dental anxiety or phobia, not only in helping to improve their dental and oral health but also in changing perceptions about dentistry’.
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