- Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts: The Watch Your Mouth Coalition Is Working In Massachusetts, New Hampshire And Maine To Make Children's Oral Health A Priority. Objectives of the Watch Your Mouth Coalition are to Educate the public that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease that can cause diminished school performance and poor overall health. WYM advocates for wider access to preventive services, such as dental sealants and fluoride, and regular dental exams for all children.
- Global Navigation
- Content
- Sectional Navigation
Check out the Watch Your Mouth television advertisement, airing around the state right now!
Preview the ad at full size. (Download QuickTime player.)
Newsletter
Vol. 2, issue 9
November 2007
November Events
- Community Education Initiative presents -- Oral Health: Assessment, Emergencies and Care for Children (Boston)
- Parent Universities Mini Series (Everett)
- 7th Regional Conference on Economic Inequality and Social Change (Amherst)
- Dental Screenings for Seniors on (Canton)
- March of Dimes Prematurity Summit 2007 (Springfield)
- March of Dimes Prematurity Summit 2007 (Boston)
Framing 101
Visuals communicate and bring life to the issues we care about in ways words cannot. To find out how smart your eyes are and to get tips on how to communicate better with visuals, CLICK HERE to test your Eye-Q.Greetings!
Happy fall! The Watch Your Mouth Campaign of Massachusetts is in the thick of a busy season meeting with campaign partners and attending coalition meetings across the state. In this issue, we'll examine a recent article from the New York Times that highlights the challenges many have in accessing dental care. We will also look at a great new communications resource for advocates from Agoodman online; we'll learn from our partners of the month and finally pay respect to Dean Spencer Frankl, a visionary member of the dental community who passed away in late October. Also, don't forget to check out the side bar on the left for upcoming events of interest. Using Community Solutions to Meet Oral Health Needs
In an October 11th New York Times article, Boom Times for Dentists but Not for Teeth, Alex Berenson discusses the challenges that we face in meeting the oral health needs of coming generations. Today, we have fewer dental professionals fully trained and practicing than at any time in the past 25 years. This lack of access to dental care is a growing problem for all children and families, regardless of their income level. Berenson notes that the need for new dental professionals and dental schools is growing at a rate that we will not be able to keep up with unless action is taken immediately.
Dental disease is the most common chronic childhood disease and also affect our children in their educational progress. Fortunately, dental disease is almost entirely preventable. To ensure that our children's dental needs are met, communities must work collaboratively and creatively to bring preventive services and treatments into our schools and pediatric offices. By offering dental screenings and treatment in these settings, we can prevent the majority of dental disease from ever occurring.
Click here to read the full article
Test Your Visual "Eye-Q"
Visuals communicate and bring life to issues we care about in ways words cannot. Whatever issue you work on, are you confident that your organization is captivating your intended audience? Now you can test and improve your visual knowledge through an online exercise known as the Eye-Q test. Goodman/Hershey's Eye-Q test is essential in helping us understand the role that visuals play in communicating our campaign issues to engage the general public and our legislators.
November Partner Spotlight: North Quabbin Community Coalition
The North Quabbin Community Coalition is a community-wide alliance committed to improving the quality of life for all those living and working within the nine-town North Quabbin region for over twenty years. The model for this Coalition was developed in response to community-identified issues and focused on developing solutions that are community driven. In a region often referred to as "resource poor", the network of health and human service providers needed to pay even more attention to the issue of collaboration in order to maximize all existing resources. The spirit of collaboration has allowed the area to develop several unique partnerships, to secure many additional resources and supports and has developed a strong coalition that fosters this growth. To learn more about the North Quabbin Community Coalition, please visit: http://www.nqcc.org/ or contact Rebecca or Stephanie at (978) 249- 3703 or Info@nqcc.org
Remembering Dr. Spencer Frankl
We are very sad to report that Spencer Frankl, Dean for Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine since 1977 and a prominent figure in the dental community passed away in late October. Also a member of the Steering Committee for the Oral Health Advocacy Taskforce, Dean Frankl's devotion to improving dental health education made him a widely respected figure in his field. We will remember Dr. Frankl for his landmark accomplishments in improving the quality of dental education and serving the Boston community.
Learn more about Dr. Frankl's accomplishments and how to make a donation in his honor
Keep in touch! We'd love to share information about upcoming events in your community. E-mail me any information at biton@hcfama.org. I'm happy to feature it in upcoming Watch Your Mouth newsletters.
Many Thanks,Czarina Biton
Previous Newsletters
Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts is supported by grants from the Oral Health Foundation and Dental Services of Massachusetts.
Watch Your Mouth Coalition.
