Delta Dental’s Land of Smiles Characters Motivate Students in the Upstate to Adopt Healthy Oral and Overall Habits
June 22, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – A battle was waged in South Carolina this spring with the health of our children’s teeth at stake. Delta Dental of South Carolina brought in its Land of Smiles® show, featuring Tooth WizardSM and his crusade to help kids have healthy teeth by defeating his arch enemy PlaqueManSM. The program visited elementary schools across the state in April and May. The show’s characters got the children excited about brushing and flossing properly and visiting Tooth Wizard’s “best friend,” the dentist. They also discussed what foods are good and bad for teeth and overall health, eating right, exercising daily and making healthy choices.
“The students were actively engaged and entertained during the show,” commented LaTasha Scott, a teacher from one of the program’s stops, W.M. Anderson Primary. “They learned about taking care of their teeth and came back to the classroom extra excited about what they learned. This was a very creative way to get the information across.”
Tooth decay is the leading chronic infectious disease among children in our nation. It causes pain and can interfere with a child’s ability to eat, speak, smile and concentrate, and it has the potential to affect systemic health. To help combat this issue, Tooth WizardSM came bearing gifts for the students at each school. Each child received a “smile bag” from Delta Dental to take home. The bags were packed with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, an educational coloring sheet and a mirror decal reminding them to brush twice each day. After the show, the school nurse received a Land of Smiles® curriculum kit that can be used to help reinforce the good oral health messages of the show in the classroom. The kit includes a mouth model and large toothbrush, children’s books, a sing-a-long CD and a Land of Smiles® DVD.
The Delta Dental Land of Smiles® tour performed 86 shows in 77 schools, reaching 21 South Carolina counties including Anderson, Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Hampton, Horry, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Newberry, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Sumter, Williamsburg and York.
“Dental disease is 100 percent preventable,” noted Spann Laffitte, vice president of sales and account management at Delta Dental of South Carolina. “Children miss more than 51 million hours of school each year due to dental-related illnesses. That affects the children, their parents and the parents’ employers. Our Land of Smiles® characters resonate with kids, inspiring action and motivating change that helps to positively influence oral health and overall health.”
Delta Dental is the nation’s leading dental benefits company. A 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization with a social mission to improve oral health, Delta Dental of South Carolina is committed to providing access to quality dental care with the nation’s largest network and exceptional customer service. Four out of five dentists participate with Delta Dental nationally. Across the nation, nearly one in three families with dental benefits choose Delta Dental—56 million members from nearly 96,000 companies. Based on proven associations between good oral health and good overall health, our smart benefits plans focus on prevention, as well as comprehensive care to promote good oral health among adults and children across the state. To learn more about Delta Dental of South Carolina, visit www.deltadentalsc.com, call 803-731-2495 in Columbia, or call toll-free 800-529-3268.
