Dental Health Week, which takes place in the first full week of August, is the Australian Dental Association’s major annual oral health promotion event. Its aim is to educate Australians about the importance of maintaining good oral health by promoting the following key health messages:
- Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.
- Clean in between teeth at least once a day with floss or an interdental brush
- Eat a healthy balance diet and limit sugar intake
- Regularly visit the dentist for check-ups and preventive treatment.
The theme of this year’s Dental Health Week, which runs from 6 to 12 August, is Watch Your Mouth. Tempting though it is to think everyone is watching their mouth and practising good oral health, the reality is that many Australians are not fully heeding these messages. Which is why getting the message out there about good oral health is more important than ever.
Since the best oral care education occurs face to face, from dental professional to patient, the ADA is encouraging dentists to use the
Dental Health Week website, the associated resources, and even the
ADA’s Oral Health Tracker to help start conversations with their patients and the wider community about watching their mouth and making their oral health a high priority.
Based on information sourced from the ADA website.
