Sharing smiles & Oral health information

from UAlberta SMILES 2020/2021

Are you afraid of the dentist?

Oral Health Month came in the midst of group gathering restrictions, so we brought our smiles to your social media feeds instead.

April is a busy month for oral health practitioners in Canada. We celebrate National Oral Health Month in Canada, National Dental Hygienists Week (NDHW), and Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHANCAW). Despite COVID restrictions, the U of A’s School of Dentistry took the opportunity to remind everyone on social media how important a healthy mouth is to a healthy lifestyle. We hope you enjoyed our content! We look to April 2021, when we will see you all in person! For now, enjoy some of our #SmileSelfies.

We ran a #SmileSelfie campaign on social media and were able to fill our feeds with smiles, sharing some positive thoughts at a tough time for many.

We also shared oral health tips. From reminders to brush to considering stress as a factor affecting oral health, we offered information on tooth-healthy foods and drinks, what to do about children’s brushing, and even tips to care for your pets. You can see all the posts on Twitter.

For #NDHW (promoted by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association), students from our BSc Dental Hygiene program prepared distanced community outreach to schools, charities, and university students. You can read more and see a few presentations here.

Finally for #OHANCAW, we shared information on oral cancer, including information for self-exams and tips for cancer patients to relieve dry mouth.