November 7, 2012
Queens, New York—Councilman Dan Halloran, Philips and Dr. Bernard Fialkoff, DDS presented the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives and the Ad Council’s Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives campaign at a free oral health care event for 20 elementary-aged Queens children at the Colonial Church’s after-school program in Bayside, NY this past week. Dr. Fialkoff, founder of the Fialkoff Dental Study Club, a dental educational group in Queens, learned about the Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives’ campaign earlier this year which the Ad Council recently released to Capitol Hill and American dentists. Dr. Fialkoff encouraged all dentist members to do likewise at the group’s October meeting. Mike Calia of Philips Oral Healthcare donated 20 “Sonicare for Kids” electronic toothbrushes. Victor Mimoni, staff representative of Councilman Dan Halloran, instructed the children on proper dental health.
The event began with an introduction on the definition of some basic dental words like cavities and plaque, showing the Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives posters including one that shows that text messaging takes much longer than brushing your teeth and a demonstration on how to brush teeth, at which time the kids gathered around Dr. Fialkoff who showed a model of the human mouth. Mike Calia of Philips showed each child how to use the Sonicare Kids toothbrush which plays music while brushing. Meghan Fialkoff, Community Relations Director at Dr. Fialkoff’s Dental Implant and Periodontics office, and Councilman Dan Halloran’s staff gave out certificates to each student for having participated in the Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives event. An American Dental Association (ADA) poster which displays step-by-step instructions on how to brush teeth was donated to the after-school activity.
Dr. Fialkoff mentioned, “It is important to share the knowledge we have gained as adults with our children. They are the future generation and can be helped to avoid problems that we went through in our lives. As a doctor, one of our roles is to help our community, and that’s why I support the American Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology and The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives initiatives. ”
The Ad Council and The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives’ campaign is the first joint national multimedia public campaign for children’s oral health. Launched in August, the campaign aims to educate youth on the importance of brushing their teeth, letting them know it only takes 2 minutes, morning and evening, to get the job done. The campaign utilizes English and Spanish, TV and radio public service announcements, posters and other audiovisual materials to bring attention to the importance of oral health care in children. The videos can be viewed at www.2min2x.org.
The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, www.healthymouthshealthylives.org, is a coalition of 35 leading organizations in the field of oral health including the ADA, Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) and American Academy of Periodontology (AAP). The Partnership is committed to improve children’s oral health, and shares the view that no child should be in pain and suffer broader health issues, or endure the social stigma and lack of opportunity resulting from untreated dental diseases and conditions. The Coalition’s primary mission is to teach parents and caregivers, as well as the children themselves, to take control of their own health through oral disease prevention.
According to an Ad Council survey, 60 percent of parents with children ages 12 or younger report that they do not regularly help their children brush their teeth or check to make sure they’ve done a good job. Parents also report that, on average, their child spends over two hours each day doing such things as playing video games, texting or watching an online video. Through the campaign’s materials, they let children know that this time could be used to improve their oral health. The Ad Council is well known for being the creators of Smokey Bear’s “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” and McGruff the Crime Dog’s “Take a Bite Out of Crime” public service announcements.
Dr. Bernard Fialkoff has a periodontal, dental implant and cosmetic laser surgery office for more than 31 years on 56-03 214 Street in Bayside, NY. Dr. Bernard Fialkoff founded the Fialkoff Dental Study Club in the mid 90s which meets monthly with a usual audience of 45-80 dentists. He also operates a popular free drug education program for NYC school children utilizing the Foundation for a Drug Free World’s children’s anti-drug education program in which he has already conducted more than 80 school events in 2012. Dr. Fialkoff has posted a blog showcasing all of the office’s free drug education events. The office web site and blog shows study club photos and bulletins, and other community activities of the office. Newsletters, media and past photos are also available for viewing on Dr. Fialkoff's Facebook page. For more information, please contact [email protected].
