Take Action!
You and your community can play a part in improving the oral health of children and seniors by promoting prevention, media coverage and policy action. You can add your voice and your community's voice to help make this happen. Here are a few ideas:
Make sure oral health is recognized as part of overall health.
Raise the issue of oral health as part of overall health in letters or e-mail to your elected and appointed officials, in school settings, and within organizations such as public health and human service agencies.
If you don't bring it up, who will?
Fluoridate!
Only 50% of the state's population is protected by fluoridated water. Perhaps your community needs fluoride in its water. To find out if your community's water supply is fluoridated, call your local water district or visit http://www.fluorideworks.org.
If you live in an area without fluoridated water, a short-term solution is to ask your doctor about fluoride supplements, particularly for children between the ages of 6 months and 16 years. For a long-term measure to address oral disease, speak out for all children and seniors by supporting fluoridation efforts within your community.
February is Kids' Oral Health Month.
That's a wonderful opportunity for your community to raise its voice in support of kids' oral health. Talk to your elected and appointed officials about the importance of oral health. Support legislation on the issue and speak up for the children of your state.
Encourage collaboration
When health care and dental care providers work together, we have a better chance of ensuring that the whole community has access to the oral health care it needs.
- Talk to the associations of pediatricians, dentists, family physicians and school nurses in your community about collaborating with one another on oral health
- Encourage inter-profession partnerships on fluoridation campaigns
- Inquire about medical/dental referrals
Encourage local officials to provide more resources for improved oral health.
Contact your local officials about expanding support and resources for community health clinics that provide oral health care to members of your community. If your community doesn't have an oral health coordinator, encourage your elected officials to appoint one. Oral health coordinators identify ways to improve local care and expand access.
Connect kids and seniors with care!
Ask local public health departments or community health clinics where they refer their patients with oral health problems. If they don't know, help them by working together to identify a local referral list, with particular attention to providers who accept medical coupons.
Help spread the word
Citizens' Watch needs your help to get the word out about the importance of oral health. Here are some things you can do:
Recruit members
The Citizens' Watch for Oral Health is looking for more organizations to join the coalition. Send your ideas to info@oralhealthwatch.org.Publish an article Contact us if your organization can include an article on oral health in their periodic newsletter. The School Nurse Organization of Washington and the Yakima Education Association have published articles on children's oral health, reaching close to 1000 members.
Host a speaker
Members of the Citizens' Watch for Oral Health are giving presentations to business and community groups, such as Kiwanis and Rotary. Do you need a speaker? Contact info@oralhealthwatch.org.Distribute FREE materials.
Citizens' Watch can help distribute free oral health materials, including posters and fact sheets, to members of your organization. For example, posters and brochures were mailed to more than 1,700 members of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians.
Help spread the word about the importance of oral health. Contact us at (206) 624-0094, toll free (866) 624-0094, or by e-mail, info@oralhealthwatch.org.
