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CREST HEALTHY SMILES 2010 PARTNERS WITH DAYANARA TORRES AND HISPANIC DENTAL ASSOCIATION TO CELEBRATE
50 YEARS OF HEALTHY, BEAUTIFUL SMILES
DURING CHILDREN’S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
National Program Celebrates Dedication to Raising Awareness of Oral Health Issues
CINCINNATI, February 1, 2005—Crest turns 50 this year, and to celebrate its long-time commitment to children’s smiles, it has partnered with superstar Dayanara Torres and the Hispanic Dental Association to raise awareness about proper oral health during Children’s Dental Health Month. Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 (CHS 2010), a national outreach program created in response to a report by the US Surgeon General in 2000, is educating children and parents about tooth decay, the single most common chronic childhood disease. By providing proper education, tools and dental care to children across the country, CHS 2010 is setting out to reach 50 million children and their families by 2010.
“Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 embodies what Crest has stood for over the last 50 years – improving the oral health of families,” said Diane Dietz, General Manager – Procter & Gamble North America Oral Care. “This program enables children to make healthy, beautiful smiles for life a reality, making oral care accessible, rewarding, and enjoyable.”
This year, Torres will help educate families about the proper way to care for their teeth. Torres is a former aspiring orthodontist who, since being crowned Miss Universe, has worked with various charitable organizations that benefit children. She believes starting children on an oral hygiene regimen when they are young will help ensure children grow up with healthy teeth and gums.
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“Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of children’s organizations. What I’ve seen has taught me how important it is for children to have access to proper medical treatment and preventive care,” said Torres. “This chance to partner with Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 is a wonderful opportunity. They’ve given me and other parents the tools to help educate children and to keep their smiles healthy.”
“The importance of good oral hygiene cannot be stressed enough,” said Dr. Ivan Lugo, president of the Hispanic Dental Association. “Leaving untreated bacteria in the mouth can result in heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as well as lowered school performance for children due to dental-related illnesses. However, brushing twice a day for two minutes, flossing, and visiting a dentist twice a year can aid in preventing these diseases.”
This year, Crest is celebrating 50 years of bringing healthy, beautiful smiles to families, and the work of Torres and Lugo is one part of a year-long celebration that kicked off last month. In 1955, Crest was introduced as the first clinically-approved toothpaste with fluoride. It is estimated that this innovation has helped prevent more than half a billion cavities in the United States, and Crest is still working to create ways to make proper oral hygiene easier, more interesting, and even fun. In 1963, Crest launched the first national corporate oral health in-school curriculum, now called the Crest 1st Grade program. Through this program, Crest provides more than 3 million 1st grade children annually with education and samples to help guide them down the path to good oral health.
ABOUT CREST HEALTHY SMILES 2010
Based on the principle that good oral health is integral to overall health, Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 combines the passionate vision of Crest with the resources of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the American Dental Association, and other leading members of the dental community to affect real change in the state of the country’s oral health by 2010. Crest is also working with dental schools and local communities to sponsor mobile dental
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clinics that bring full service dental support to areas in need, as well as building upon its
40-year tradition of broad-based in-school health education programs which reach 90 percent of first graders. The program will reach more than 50 million children and their families by 2010.
A trusted leader in oral health, Crest was the first oral care brand to secure the ADA Seal of Acceptance on fluoride toothpaste, a major preventer of cavities. Since first introducing fluoride toothpaste 50 years ago, it is estimated that Crest has helped prevent more than half a billion cavities in the United States. In addition, through its schools program, Crest has helped more than 100 million kids learn how to take care of their teeth.
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