Every Child Has a Toothbrush Program
This program is being updated and is currently on hold.
A Program Teaching Children to Use a Toothbrush Effectively
Worldwide, children are affected by oral diseases, most notably dental caries. This condition causes pain, difficulty in eating, hours lost at school, and a decreased quality of life. As preventive oral health specialists, dental hygienists have an opportunity to change this situation by using one of the most powerful tools: a toothbrush!
For those dental hygienists inspired to improve the oral health of children, the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH) has created the “Every Child has a Toothbrush Program”. This program is designed to teach children how to use a manual toothbrush effectively to better control biofilm and reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Providing Hygienists with Small Grants and Toothbrushes
This program, sponsored by Crest/Oral-B, will provide dental hygienists with small grants to help them conduct a community education intervention for children.
This program will involve dental hygienists providing oral health education to children, teaching tooth-brushing techniques.
Each program requires that the dental hygienist document numbers of children examined and type of tooth-brushing instruction provided.
Dental hygienists may choose to add to the program by performing sealants and/or fluoride varnish, but emphasis must be on education.
Please be sure to plan your program to comply with local regulations regarding COVID-19.
Modest grants in the amount of up to $200 (US) will be provided. Manual toothbrushes will be donated from Crest/Oral-B for children 6 and older (limited availability per program and per country). If other sized toothbrushes are needed for your sample group, please submit your request with your $200 grant application. Grant applications will remain open throughout the year until all monies and/or toothbrushes have been allocated.
Qualifications
Must be a licensed dental hygienist, must be either:
an IFDH Individual Member, and/or
- a member of an IFDH Member Country Association
- Instructions
- Application (limited number of applications per country)
Step 1: Identify a community of children in need of oral health education.
Step 2: Create an oral health education program that includes tooth-brushing instruction.
Step 3: Identify educational materials that can be provided to the children to reinforce key messages about tooth-brushing techniques and oral home care practices.
Step 4: Submit the application. Allow 4 weeks for committee approval and approximately 4 weeks for toothbrushes to arrive.
Implementation (Once your application has been approved)
Once your application has been approved, toothbrushes will be sent to you based on the number of children as noted on your application. Please indicate size of toothbrush for your target group.
Step 1: Implement your tooth-brushing program for your community of children.
Step 2: Document your findings with photos.
Step 3: Complete Final Report documenting project and outcomes, and submit to membership@ifdh.org within two weeks of completion of project.
Crest/Oral-B are proud to sponsor this children’s educational program to help ensure a lifetime of good oral hygiene habits. For more information about our online educational materials for pediatric oral health, please visit dentalcare.com
