CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 3

15 Issue 3 | 2018 | CDA at W ork Provincial dental associations across the country celebrated and promoted good oral health in April for National Oral Health Month. Here are some of the highlights: CELEBRATING NATIONAL ORAL HEALTH MONTH ❚ ❙ ❘ Alberta The Alberta Dental Association and College partnered with Heart & Stroke Alberta to bring the Count Your Cubes campaign to the province. Count Your Cubes encourages people to track (and reduce) their daily sugar intake as the month progresses. Participants signed up online to track their sugar consumption and receive emails with tips and tricks throughout the month. ❚ ❙ ❘ British Columbia This year’s campaign in B.C. focused on the importance of good oral health care for seniors, specifically those approaching retirement, to encourage people to consider oral health when making retirement plans. Dr. Bruce Ward was featured on Global TV’s Ask an Expert to discuss the importance of good oral health care throughout a lifetime . Additionally, the British Columbia Dental Association actively advertised careers in dental offices on social media platforms. ❚ ❙ ❘ Ontario For Oral Health Month 2018, the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) targeted millennials with the message, “Your Teeth are Worth it!” Building on the success of last year’s campaign, ODA reminded this group that brushing and flossing teeth, but not seeing a dentist regularly, is only half of a good dental care routine. The campaign included advertisements in gyms, health clubs and restaurants. A toolkit was also developed to allow the ODA’s component societies and individual members to promote the campaign at the local level. Find out more at: oda.ca/yourteethareworthit ❚ ❙ ❘ New Brunswick The New Brunswick Dental Society (NBDS) teamed up with St. Thomas University’s Athletics to raise awareness on sugar consumption. Athletes from five New Brunswick communities encouraged New Brunswick youth to “check the sugar.” A television commercial with this message aired throughout the province in April. The NBDS also provided over 4,000 toothbrushes to the Department of Health’s Healthy Toddler Assessment Program, encouraging parents to develop good oral health habits from a young age.   