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Introducing Smile Week

Running a 'Smile Week at school is a great way to promote dental health with your students.

• What reasons can the students give for having a Smile Week at school?’.

• What advantages could calling it Smile Week have over say a ‘Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day Week’? eg

- more likely to capture people's imaginations
- it could focus on other issues besides brushing
- we all enjoy people who smile …

• Discuss the three main messages the Foundation wants to get across eg

- brushing twice a day?
- eat raw vegetables and cheese for snacks
- having regular dental check ups

Setting the Challenge

Each group is challenged to become part of a creative team from an advertising agency employed by the New Zealand Dental Foundation to get the messages of Smile Week across to the younger children in the school. What problems do they think they may have to overcome? eg

- how do they make raw vegetables and cheese more attractive than sweets to younger children as a snack food?
- how do they promote the importance of brushing twice a day?
- how will they promote the importance of having regular dental check ups?
- how will they promote the importance of a smile?

Creative Solutions

Have each creative team brainstorm solutions for promoting the messages and designing exciting activities during Smile Week. Consider some of the following…

- let's meet the friendly dental professional question and answer sessions

- the great raw vegetable taste off, eg blind tasting and identification of vegetables

- voting for our favourite cheese

- designing and awarding daily ‘You've Got a Great Smile’ certificates

- the best smiles of the day parades at assembly

- designing and awarding certificates for demonstrate good brushing techniques and using fluoride toothpaste

- a sweet is neat but only on special occasions

- the great raw vegetable fancy dress parade

- inventing and display catchy slogans, eg ‘say cheese please’, chew EXTRA® gum and don't be glum

- design and display Smile Week posters in every room and corridor of the school

- mini dramas on ‘a day in the life of a mouth that's treated right’

- visit the Smile Week web site and prepare an Internet Quiz www.smileweek.co.nz

- construct and hang mobiles of toothpaste, brushes, smiles, Listermint bottles, vegetables, cheese etc.

- a giant photo montage of all school children showing their best smile.