Although they are preventable, cavities are the leading chronic childhood disease in the United States. Unfortunately, many low-income families lack basic dental hygiene products in their homes. When kids cannot brush every day to keep their smiles healthy, the pain of tooth decay can keep them from eating, sleeping, and attending school. Their poor oral hygiene habits contribute to the vicious cycle of poverty.
Every child should have what they need to prevent tooth decay. That is why America’s ToothFairy has teamed up with Crest and Oral-B to help kids in underprivileged communities access the hygiene products they need to keep their smiles healthy.
Through their Smile Drive programme, America’s ToothFairy helps kids protect their teeth from cavities by mobilising volunteers to collect oral care products for families in need and teach their communities about the importance of healthy dental hygiene habits. Crest and Oral-B are this year’s sponsors of the Smile Drive programme, which has distributed more than two million oral care products to families in need since 2014.
“It breaks my heart every time a child tells me they don’t have a toothbrush at home,” remarked Jill Malmgren, executive director of America’s ToothFairy. “Throughout this challenging year, Crest and Oral-B have generously provided financial contributions in addition to 40,000 toothbrushes and toothpaste to our non-profit dental partners that serve our nation’s disadvantaged kids. We are exceedingly grateful for their support and are thrilled to partner with them to help grow our Smile Drive programme this year.”
To kick-off the partnership, this spring the organisations encouraged families to Conquer Cavities 2Gether by pledging to brush for two minutes, two times a day with fluoride toothpaste.
For every pledge received, Crest and Oral-B donated a Conquer Cavities 2Gether kit for a child in need through America’s ToothFairy. By the end of the campaign, kits containing Crest toothpaste, Oral-B toothbrushes, two-minute timers, and educational materials were distributed to 10,000 kids across the country.
