This September, Colgate in partnership with the British Dental Association, continues with the Colgate Oral Health Month initiative. Colgate Oral Health Month is a leading UK campaign for the promotion of improved oral health and aims to inform and promote the importance of oral health to the general public. The campaign is intended to highlight the benefits of good oral health and to encourage communication between dental professionals and patients. The theme for the 2010 campaign is Discover 3 Essentials for an Even Healthier Mouth, which are:
1. Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and replace your toothbrush regularly
2. Avoid sugary snacks between meals
3. Visit the dentist regularly.
Colgate Oral Health Month provides the entire dental team with an opportunity to get involved in a nationwide campaign. A Colgate road show will visit major retailers at selected venues throughout the month of September, where dental hygienists and therapists will be at mobile toothbrushing units providing demonstrations of toothbrushing techniques and giving oral care advice.
Practice packs
Over 90 per cent of UK dental practices are registered to take part in Colgate Oral Health Month. They will each receive a practice pack that contains educational materials, patient product samples and motivational stickers to help the dental team drive awareness of improved oral health by creating their own oral health month practice displays.
New for 2010, and in response to requests from practices who want to promote their oral health month activities, the practice pack now contains a Colgate Oral Health Month Practice PR Kit. This PR kit includes a template press release to let your local newspaper know what your practice is doing during Colgate Oral Health Month to support local oral health, by raising awareness and inviting new patients to attend.
2010 CPD programme
The 2010 Colgate CPD programme focuses on ‘putting evidence into practice’ utilising Delivering better oral health – An evidence-based toolkit for prevention1, published by the health department. Previous Colgate Oral Health Month CPD programmes utilising the toolkit have been very much focused on prevention advice for children and young adults. The theme for the 2010 Colgate CPD programme is much more on prevention advice and interventions for older patients, including improving periodontal health and preventing root caries.
Reference
1. Delivering better oral health - An evidence based toolkit for prevention, Department of Health, July 2009.
The Colgate CPD Programme is available to all dental professionals and provides four hours of verifiable CPD. To participate, visit www.colgateohm.co.uk from September 1, 2010 and download this interactive programme.