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.
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Check out the Watch Your Mouth television advertisement, airing around the state right now! Preview the ad at full size. (Download QuickTime player.)

Watch Your Mouth Partners in Massachusetts: New This Month

Children can't be healthy without good oral health!

Our state is known for its history of firsts: we had the nation's first public school system, the first constitution and the first public health department. However, when it comes to the simple issue of children's oral health, the Commonwealth has fallen far behind. We can do something about this. When communities work together to make children's oral health a statewide priority, kids gain access to much needed services and prevention.

Learn more about us. Get involved on a local or statewide level and speak up for children's oral health!

Watch Your Mouth: Massachusetts: Partner Spotlight

July Partner Spotlight: Diman Regional Vocational Technical School

The Dental Assisting program at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School program in Fall River, MA, has been in existence for 10 years. The Dental Assistant program trains and educates students to be competent in Dental Assisting skills. Some of the specific tasks are taking and developing dental radiographs, assisting a variety of dental treatments procedures, and preparing and sterilizing instruments and equipment.

The Dental Assisting program also offers students the opportunity to take the Dental Assisting National Board Exams in Infection Control and Radiology Health and Safety. Students in the program consist of Sophomore, Juniors, and Seniors. The curriculum includes class room, work in dental health sciences, radiology, Medical emergencies, Infection Control, Dental specialties, Dental, Materials, and Office Management. Students receive intense hands-on training in the Dental Clinic at Diman as well as their clinical rotations at local dental offices through their cooperative externship. The program also includes several community services opportunities by educating the community about Dental Health Issues. The students participated in Children's Dental Health Month by educating children in of the importance of Oral Health at local elementary schools and day care facilities.

Check out Diman Regional's Website

Join the Watch Your Mouth Team!

Watch Your Mouth is a dynamic, statewide public awareness campaign with more than 1500 supporters including: consumers, advocates, health care professionals, academics, and insurers. In collaboration with the Frameworks Institute, the campaign generates a variety of widely distributed campaign documents.

We are looking to fill the Oral Health Communications Coordinator position, with the primary responsibility for visioning and managing the daily operations of this multi-faceted, statewide oral health public awareness campaign. Health Care For All (HCFA) serves as the primary staffing resource for the Massachusetts Watch Your Mouth Campaign.

To learn more about this opportunity or to apply, please visit our website.

Listen Up!

Last April, Massachusetts demonstrated bold leadership when it enacted landmark legislation to transform the state's healthcare system. As the state and its partners continue to refine the law and its provisions, it is critical that our leadership recognize one important-and often overlooked-aspect of overall health: oral health.

Learn how you can watch your back by watching your mouth with the new WYM public service announcement:

Watch Your Mouth: Massachusetts: Bring the Future to the Front Lines of Care

Charting a Course for Change

Common-sense solutions to common challenges define much of Massachusetts' history. Basic social institutions like public education and our subway system exist because a group of Bay Staters worked together to strengthen our community. This month, more than 200 residents from across the state joined together at the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts summit to address one of the most widespread health issues facing our communities today: dental disease. Representing teachers, school nurses, community members, physicians, business people, religious leaders, the dental community, and others, all parties have committed to working together to create a plan for a system of care that reaches everyone in our state to ensure optimal oral health through the lifespan.

Dental decay is the most common, chronic childhood disease. It is five times more common than asthma, and affects nearly half of all third graders. Caused by a bacterial infection in the mouth, dental decay can interfere with the most basic functions, such as eating, talking and sleeping. Nationally, 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental related absence. These lost school hours mean lost opportunities for our children. Kids with dental disease often reach adulthood with the disease, where the health consequences become even more serious. Dental disease is associated with stroke, diabetes, and lung disease.

Fortunately, when communities work together to establish systems of preventive care, health professionals can intervene before the disease develops. Oral health is a critical component of overall health and of our communities' futures. An Oral Health Plan for Massachusetts will help to guide us toward improved oral and overall health. Led by the state's Department of Public Health and also sponsored by the Massachusetts Dental Society, Massachusetts Dental Hygienists' Association, and Delta Dental of Massachusetts, this plan will become the road map needed to chart a course to community change.

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Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts is supported by grants from the Oral Health Foundation and Dental Services of Massachusetts.
Watch Your Mouth Coalition.