LOCAL COMMUNITY AND DENTAL LEADERS JOIN FORCES TO COMBAT ORAL HEALTH CRISIS IN SOUTH FLORIDA

Dedication of New Crest Smile Shoppe Dental Clinic Provides Low-cost Dental Services for Children in Need

Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 16, 2004 – Children of Broward County will have healthier smiles now thanks to a new dental access partnership that aims to reach 1,000 youngsters over the next two years. Nova Southeastern University (NSU), Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County (B&GCBC) and Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 (CHS 2010) have joined forces to dedicate a Crest Smile Shoppe dental clinic at the College of Dental Medicine at NSU.  The partnership will allow members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County’s 12 facilities access to affordable dental care to create and maintain healthy beautiful smiles.

“Access to affordable dental care is a critical health issue in South Florida,” said Dr. Robert Uchin, Dean of NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. “Thanks to funding from the Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 program, our clinic can now provide ongoing care to children who really need it.”

“Procter & Gamble is committed to improving the oral health of families across the country,” said Diane Dietz, marketing director for Crest. “Public-private partnerships with community leaders and organizations like this allow us to reach a common goal: to provide oral health tools, education and services in Florida, making a healthy beautiful smile accessible to everyone.”

To celebrate the clinic and partnership, dedication ceremonies will be held on Monday, February 16th from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm, located at the NSU College of Dental Medicine, 3200 South University Drive, Fort Lauderdale.

The allocation of funds for this Crest Smile Shoppe was in response to the city’s overwhelming need for affordable dental services, and addresses the issues outlined in the Surgeon General’s report titled National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, which was released on April 29th, 2003. This dental facility, currently open to the general public, will now provide low-cost, ongoing dental care to B&GCBC members. Services will include screenings, cleanings, preventative and restorative dental care.

“Our relationship with Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 and NSU gives us the much-needed resources to help children be healthy and feel good about their smiles by providing them with necessary dental care many would not normally receive,” said David Hughes, executive director for Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.
Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County generally reside in neighborhoods where family income is low and there is limited access to dental services, making it difficult for families to receive the proper dental care and instruction they need.
Some alarming statistics from the Florida Department of Health include:

50 percent of children have cavities in their primary or permanent teeth by age seven and 84 percent have experienced decay in their permanent teeth by age 17.

25 percent of children, mostly low income, have eighty percent of the cavities.

80 percent of tooth decay remains untreated in low-income children.

For more information about the designated Crest Smile Shoppe or to schedule an appointment, please contact Leslie Griffin, Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, (954) 585-6351.

THE COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE AT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
The College of Dental Medicine at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) was founded in 1996 and has the distinction of being the only dental college in South Florida.

Located on the Health Professions Division campus at NSU, the College is housed in a 70,500 square foot, three-story building containing 162 modern dental units, in addition to completely equipped diagnostic, radiographic, and oral-maxillofacial surgical suites.

The College strives to embrace the overall educational goals of NSU, while providing the newest site for dental education in the United States in over 30 years.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BROWARD COUNTY
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County (B&GCBC) serves children of all ages and all demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. The Clubs are open six days a week and provide programming from after school until early evening.
The Boys & Girls Club of Broward County is dedicated to ensuring that our community’s disadvantaged youth have greater access to quality programs and services that will enhance their lives and shape their futures and the success of Boys & Girls Clubs around the nation is a testament to the work-accomplished daily at local clubs.

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, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry 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 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 approval on fluoride toothpaste, a major preventor of cavities. Since first introducing fluoride toothpaste 40 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.
For more information on Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, call 1-877-289-6322 or log onto www.crest.com for more information on proper oral care.