Tooth Talk: Teaching Good Oral Hygiene

Every year, more than six thousand area elementary school children learn about oral hygiene through BCD’s Tooth Talk program. 

The program sends third-year dental students to area elementary, middle and high schools and Dallas’ Museum of Nature and Science to discuss development and functions of the teeth, the impact of diet and nutrition on dental health, what constitutes good oral hygiene, the importance of visits to the dentist and the hazards of smoking and spit tobacco. 

Students develop their own presentations and use visual aids like models of mouth, puppets and toothbrushes to emphasize the importance of good dental health.

The program, now more than two decades old, is required of all third-year dental students by the Department of Public Health Sciences.  Besides providing the schools with worthwhile information, the program gives BCD students first-hand experience in working with children.