CATCH Healthy Smiles – Let’s Talk About Kids’ Oral Health

Did you know that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease? In addition to causing serious discomfort, poor oral health in childhood can lead to disfigurement, infections, and impaired language development. Kids with poor oral health are also 3 times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain–ouch! The good news is that through education and skill-building, proper oral health techniques can be developed at an early age and carried into adulthood.

That’s the aim of the new CATCH Healthy Smiles program, which is being made available to schools in the US at no cost thanks to generous support from Delta Dental of California. Developed by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health, and disseminated by CATCH Global Foundation, the program for grades K-2 is designed to help students discover the causes of tooth decay and develop the necessary skills to maintain a healthy smile.

In this webinar, we’ll discuss the importance of kids’ oral health, the role of prevention, and even debunk some common misconceptions like “baby teeth don’t matter” (spoiler: they do!). We’ll also learn more about the CATCH Healthy Smiles program and how schools, childcare providers, and parents can access the free materials.

Our guests will be Dr. Daniel Croley, Chief Dental Officer with Delta Dental of California, and Dr. Steve Kelder, Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology at the UTHealth School of Public Health and Co-Principal Investigator for the CATCH Healthy Smiles program.

This webinar is possible thanks to generous support from the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health in Austin.

Related Resources

• CATCH Healthy Smiles program page – Includes more program information and instructions on how to access the materials.
• Oral Health in Texas – Bridging Gaps and Filling Needs (2018) – A report from Texas Health Institute on the burden of oral disease in Texas.