5

PROJECT PLANS

Action Steps and Leadership Ideas Surrounding:

★Oral Health Disparities ★Collaborative Approaches

★Health Professional Shortage Areas ★Community Water Fluoridation

2014-2015 School Year Edition

MY SMILE MATTERS PROJECT PLANS

1

AN INTRODUCTIONThe goal of the My Smile Matters Youth Movement is to change the trajectory of youth involvement in oral health. NCOHF: America’s ToothFairy disseminates resources and opportunities aimed at fostering youth’s connection with oral health, passion for preventing pain and suffering caused by tooth decay, and understanding of the importance of a healthy smile. In doing so, youth not only began to view dental disease as a social justice issue rather than simply a matter of personal responsibility, but also began to appreciate the power they have to make a difference in the world.

(n). Materials intended to guide activities, spark ideas, and promote creativity around youth engagement in

children’s oral health advocacy and promotion

USING PROJECT PLANSThis Booklet contains Project Plans on four main topics that are

considered cornerstones of the 2014-2015 Movement. The plans are intended to guide youth activities, spark ideas, and foster creativity. !

Throughout this Booklet, anything in bold print is an America’s ToothFairy Downloadable Supplemental Resource. These are available to

you on the Password-Protected, Online Resource Portal.

TABLE OF CONTENTS★ Introduction……………………………………………………. ★ Calendar………………………………………………………….. ★ Oral Health Disparities……………………………………. ★ Collaborative Approaches……………………………….. ★ Community Water Fluoridation………………………. ★ Health Professional Shortage Areas……………….. ★ Points Program for Participation…………………….. ★ References……………………………………………………….. ! !

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Page 7 Page 9 Page 11 Page 12

2

2014-2015 CALENDAR

FALL

SPRING

WINTER

Topic:!★ Health Disparities

Use the calendar below as a guide to planning your activities for the school year. The calendar is not intended to be restrictive.

Feel free to carry out any activities at anytime!

Other Main Activities:!★ Oral Health Education

Fundraiser:!★ Dance-a-Thon

Topic:!★ Collaborative Approaches!★ Community Water

Fluoridation

Topic:!★ Health Professional Shortage Areas

Other Main Activities:!★ Smile Drive

Other Main Activities:!★ Community Awareness Project

Fundraiser:!★ Coin Drive

Fundraiser:!★ Tea with the ToothFairy

w

ORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES

3

CONSIDERDoes it seem fair that the smiles of children are different solely based on income, race, residence, career, religion, gender, or other characteristics of themselves or their parents? This is a Health Disparity.

(n). Significant Differences in Oral Health Status between Different Populations

If two people live in Los Angeles, the one who lives in the more affluent neighborhood will live, on average, 12 years longer than the one in a poorer neighborhood. This is a Health Disparity. !Nearly 15% of American households struggled to put food on the table in 2008. How can these children avoid foods likely to cause decay if they are worried about having any food at all? This is a Health Disparity.

Latino children have higher rates of untreated dental disease than any other group in the country. This is a Health Disparity.

The combined cost of health inequalities is $1.24 trillion. This is the Financial Cost of a Health Disparity.

A low-income child in agony from an infected tooth has no access to care, misses school regularly, loses sleep every night, cannot eat and suffers from malnutrition, and ultimately has diminished prospects for success as an adult. This is the Long Term, Personal Cost of a Health Disparity.

1

2

3

4

Every Child Should Have a Chance at a Healthy Smile.

4

BUILD LEADERSHIP SKILLS

TAKE ACTIONSpread Awareness

★ Share messages on social media ★ Use one of the Display Board Kits at a library, farmer’s market, health fair,

or other event !

Engage Your Government Officials ★ Plan a visit to a community representative to share information on oral health

inequities. ★ Write a letter to your legislator about your desire to see every child have

equal access to a health smile. !

Document the Passion of Your Community for Change ★ Use the “Because Every Child Deserves a Healthy Smile” petition online

or on paper to obtain signatures in support of equal opportunities for all children to have healthy smiles.

★ Use My Smile Matters Signs at a community event to document why the smiles of your community matter.

★ Work with a local community clinic to organize an Advocacy Day during Children’s Dental Health Month in February.

★ Recruit other students to film a PSA on oral health disparities featuring information from the FAQ Sheet, a song parody, or a call to sign your online petition.

★ Partner with a food bank to increase community awareness of their services and add oral health information and resources to their program. Hold a Smile Drive to collect toothbrushes/toothpaste. Work with leaders to incorporate tips on oral health into food distribution activities.

Observe: Differences in smile appearance based on !

zip code

COLLABORATIVE APPROACHES

5

CONSIDERAre grocery stores the only businesses that care about world hunger? !Are schools the only places to take action and support education? !Are animal shelters the only organizations to advocate for animal rights?

(n). Methods to Engage and Connect Out-of-the-Box Community Stakeholders

If they were, progress would be difficult.You don’t have to be a dental practice to care about oral health. !Dentists aren’t the only type of community stakeholders you can engage.

Politicians and Museums and Party Planners! Oh, my!

Identifying Children to Educate

Providing an Event Space

Recruiting Attendees for a Fundraiser

Advertising for an Event

Building Community Support for a Cause

Donating Product for an Event

Think Out of the Box! Who in your community can help with the following?

6

BUILD LEADERSHIP SKILLS

TAKE ACTION

Partnering with non-traditional, local stakeholders is often a good way to expand the diversity of community members you

reach.Are there small businesses that have a strong presence in your community?!

Are there larger businesses or franchises that value local impact?!

Besides schools, where else can children be reached?

★ Work with a local pharmacy to organize a ToothFairy Awareness Day. Arrange a meet-and-greet with the ToothFairy, offer lessons on oral health, and pass out Tips from the ToothFairy and Brushing Charts.

★ Analyze the school lunch menu for a local elementary, middle, or high school. Does the menu include smile-friendly foods? Propose menu changes to school leadership. Think about other ways to increase access to smile-friendly foods at school. !!

Spread Awareness ★ Host a Storytime Hour with the ToothFairy at a local library or bookstore. Read

something from the list of ToothFairy-Approved Books. ★ Using your Community Education Kit, educate children outside of a school

setting. Consider a Girl or Boy Scout Troop, Church Youth group, or sports team. Be creative!

! Engage Businesses

★ Organizing a Tea with the ToothFairy or Dance-a-Thon? Ask a local business to sponsor your fundraiser!

★ Using the FAQ Sheet, write a letter to a local business explaining the state of children’s oral health in America. Ask the business to sell $1 “Wear Your Wings” donation cards to customers.

! Promote Inter-Professional Collaborations

★ Pass out Tips from the ToothFairy at a local pediatrician’s office. ★ Partner with a local pediatric registered dietician to provide information on

smile-friendly and not smile-friendly snacks to young clients. Be sure to share the Smile-Friendly Snacks Coloring Page!

COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION

7

CONSIDER(n). Public water supplies that contain a greater concentration of fluoride, a naturally-occurring mineral

that reduces tooth decay

Fluoride safely reduces cavity rates in children and adults by as much as 40% while costing less than $1 per person

per year.

Imagine you are a Mayor of a town where children are suffering from disease that causes them to lose weight because they can’t eat, cry all night because they are in pain, and clamp their mouths shut because they are ashamed to smile.

A scientist comes to you and says there is a safe way to prevent this kind of pain and suffering that costs less than $1 per person per year. Would you help these children

In the early 1900s, a young dentist, Dr. Frederick McKay, moved to Colorado Springs to open a dental practice. When he arrived, he observed scores of residents had horrible brown stains on their teeth—but, they had few, if any, cavities! Those in the town blamed a variety of factors, from eating too much pork to drinking too much milk. No one could explain the stains or the resistance to tooth decay. It wasn’t until years of research across several states later that Dr. McKay and his colleagues discovered the answer: fluoride in the water.

Today, we aren’t all walking around with these harmless dark brown stains on our teeth, even though over half of us have access to fluoridated water. This is because after years of research, scientists discovered the optimal level of fluoride to prevent tooth decay without the unsightly cosmetic side effects. In addition to community drinking water, fluoride is also found in toothpastes, supplements, and dental treatments as a safe, effective way to prevent decay.

5

8

BUILD LEADERSHIP SKILLS

TAKE ACTION

★ Work with a local community fluoridation campaign to design and implement an outreach campaign to educate the community on its benefits.

★ Recruit other students to film a PSA on the importance of community water fluoridation featuring information from our FAQ Sheet, a song parody, or a call to sign your online petition.

★ Improve students’ access to cold, clean fluoridated public drinking water at a local school. Evaluate current use with a survey, decide how to improve access and use, and develop an action plan. Work with school leadership to identify resources and research solutions. Attend a School Board meeting to advocate for allocation of funds for new fountains, or to clean up the current water fountains. Create an awareness campaign at the school.

For different reasons, many communities are considering eliminating fluoride from their water supplies !

or are hesitant to add it.!Unfortunately, the children who benefit most from fluoridated water have no voice when

there are threats to remove it from a water supply.

Spread Awareness ★ Share messages on social media ★ Ask local dentists to co-sign a Letter to the Editor discussing the benefits of

fluoride. ! Engage Your Government Officials

★ Plan a visit to a community representative to share information on the benefits of fluoride.

★ Write a letter to your legislator about fluoride’s important role in seeing that every child have equal access to a health smile.

! Document the Passion of Your Community for Change

★ Use the “Because Every Child Deserves a Healthy Smile” petition online or on paper to obtain signatures in support of equal opportunities for all children to have healthy smiles through community water fluoridation.

★ Use My Smile Matters Signs at a community event to document why the smiles of your community matter—and why every child should have the chance to smile brightly.

HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS

9

CONSIDERYou are 5 years old and have a severe toothache that often leaves you in tears. Your parents worry about you, recognize that your unhealthy tooth impacts your ability to

eat, sleep, play, and learn, and know that you need to see a dentist. !

(n). A portion of a city or county with a shortage of providers, as defined by primary care hours available for a general population.!

GEOGRAPHIC HPSA

(n). Areas designated by the government as having a shortage of primary medical, dental, or mental health providers

You live in a rural area that only has a few dentists. Appointments have to be booked well in advance since the dentists see so many patients. Can’t wait that long? The next closest dentists are tens of miles away.

Financial resources are very limited. Your family lives in public housing and receives assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

But it isn’t that simple, because….

(n). A region focusing on only the segment of the population living 200% below the Federal Poverty Line, as defined by the primary care hours

devoted to serving this population!

LOW-INCOME HPSA

Your family does not have private dental insurance and relies on Medicaid for benefits. Finding a local dentist who accepts Medicaid is difficult, but your family cannot afford to go to the dentist without insurance reimbursement.

FACILITY HPSA (n). Facilities, such as Community Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health

Centers (FQHCs), and Rural Health Clinics, that are granted automatic HPSA status and often qualify for enhanced reimbursement from Medicaid!

6

7

8

9

You live in a….

You are part of a….

Your family relies on a….

10

BUILD LEADERSHIP SKILLS

TAKE ACTION

The shortage of dental professionals in our country makes it difficult for many children to access quality, !

prevention-based dental care.What dental care options exist for children in my community?!

How do the options for children with and without private insurance differ?!

How can I help families in my community to access care?

★ Make “A Guide to Dental Care” for local families. Include information you learned about places where children can receive care, as well as transportation options, and tips for visiting the dentist.

★ Promote school sealant programs to help prevent childhood caries before they start. To help increase participation rates and awareness, provide your city officials with FAQ Sheets. Request your local paper report on the benefits of sealants.

Discover ★ Find a designated HPSA in or near your community or search for children’s

dentists accepting Medicaid by using the following search tools: ★http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/HPSASearch.aspx ★http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

★ Where do children in your community access dental care? Are their private-practice dentist? FQHCs? School-based Clinics? Other options?

! Engage Community Members

★ To promote careers in dentistry, invite a local dental health professional to visit your school or student/youth group. Ask him or her to speak about his/her career, schooling, and opportunities within the dental space.

★ Provide information on how to register for the America’s ToothFairy Kids Club to a local preschool program, such as a Head Start. Leave behind Kids Club Cards!

! Promote Inter-Professional Collaborations

★ Pass out Tips from the ToothFairy at a local pediatrician’s office. ★ Encourage school nurses to enhance oral health programming in schools.

Request educational materials on their behalf and collaborate on a plan.

POINTS SYSTEM FOR PARTICIPATION

11

(n). Incentive Program where youth and youth groups can earn points for each activity

they participate in and report on

Community Engagement and Awareness Activities Number of Points

Complete My Smile Matters sign 1 point per sign completed; 1 point per photo submitted

Use downloadable Display Board Kit at event

10 points each for: Kid Board, Parent Board, and

Teen Board

Participate in a “Take Action” Activity from Project Plans 10 points per Activity

Participate in a “Build Leadership Skills” Activity from Project Plans 40 points per Activity

Participate in the Smile Drive 10 points

Education Activities Number of Points

Teach a Lesson on Oral Health using the Community Education Kit

10 points per classroom/group educated

Write and teach a lesson on oral health; share lesson script with America’s ToothFairy

30 points

Miscellaneous Tasks Number of Points

Submit a Youth Awards Application 2 points per Application

Submit End-of-Year Report 5 points

To receive credit for activities, email youth@ncohf.org with the following information: !School and/or Organization Name Advisor/Teacher/Adult Leader Name Activity/Activities Date(s) of Activity/Activities Evidence: Paragraph description of activity, photo, and/or submission of raised funds

Fundraising Activities Number of Points

Plan a Tea with the ToothFairy Fundraiser 50 points

Plan a ToothFairy Dance-a-Thon 50 points

Raise over $200 20 points

Raise over $500 40 points

Raise over $1,000 60 points

Raise over $2,000 80 points

Sell over 100 “I Save Smiles” bracelets 20 points

Sell over 200 “I Save Smiles” bracelets 40 points

Sell over 500 “I Save Smiles” bracelets 80 points

Participate in any of these activities to earn Points! At the end of the school year, the 10 Schools/Groups with the most

points will receive a Prize.

12

ORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES1. http://www.preventioninstitute.org/ca-blog/1104-in-south-los-angeles-a-bold-plan-to-

address-health-disparities.html !2. http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/54C4CC4D-E86D-479A-BABB-5D42B3FDC8BD/0/

HlthDisparty_Primer_FINAL.pdf !3. http://cpac.berkeley.edu/documents/francisco_ramosgomez.pdf 4. http://www.uhc.com/about_us/health_equity/health_disparity_statistics.htm !Photos: http://www.gansbaai.com/docs/10268/ChildCaries_HealthySmile.jpg http://www.floridahealth.gov/chd/nassau/images/dental-ecc.jpg

REFERENCES(n). Necessary means of giving credit where credit is due

HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREAS6. http://hpsafind.hrsa.gov/HPSASearch.aspx !7. http://www.hpsa.us/hpsa-101 !8. http://www.hpsa.us/hpsa-101 !9. http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit/toolbox/RuralHealthITtoolbox/Introduction/qualified.html

COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION5. http://www.ilikemyteeth.org/education