Every year, dental care professionals all over the world take part in World Oral Health Day on the 20th March. This year, we are calling all dental nurses to arms to get involved in spreading awareness of good oral health.
What is World Oral Health Day?
World Oral Health Day is not just one single day of raising awareness, but rather an ongoing campaign which involves fun activities and events to help us all in the fight for better oral health.
‘On the 20 March every year, we ask the world to unite to help reduce the burden of oral diseases, which affect individuals, health systems and economies everywhere.
Its purpose: to empower people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to secure good oral health.’ (website https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/ 27/2/24)
Let’s Get Involved!
https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/
Everyone is welcome to get involved, but as dental nurses we are in the best position not only to help spread the word, but to also head up the activities and events that could make the biggest impact for our local community. Talk to your team, your manager, and your friends and family about all the ways you can give support, and use the WOHD website to find:
- The Event Map – add your event to this excellent global tool so that people far and wide can see what you’re up to and get involved.
- Free Reources – the website is full of handy and helpful resources to guide you on your way, and they’re all absolutely free! They are regularly updated all the way up to the big day itself, so make sure you keep checking back for any new additions.
- Podcast – get motivated by the Dental Check-Up’s special podcast on WOHD from last year, where you can hear the inspiring stories of previous participants.
Awards
https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/world-oral-health-day-awards
Awards are a great incentive for taking part, and WOHD has a ceremony in September to recognise the hard work put in by a select few winners of each awards category. To be involved you can:
- Find resources – use the WOHD resources to plan your activities around the theme.
- Use the activity map – upload your activity to the activity map between January and March, making sure to fill out the ‘Participate to the WOHD Awards’ section with your activity details to be eligible for awards. Become a registered user to be able to make changes to the entry at any time.
- Complete your activity – make sure that you have completed your activity by April, and that you have made any final edits/changes to your activity map entry, including checking that you have completed the awards participation section.
- Await shortlisting and winner selection – in May, the WOHD task team shortlists, and votes on, the participating campaigns. In June, winners for each award category are selected by the team, and the winners are then informed.
- Ceremony – in September, during the FDI World Dental Congress, the World Oral Health Day Award Ceremony is organised and the prizes are given to the lucky winners!
- Prize summary – the prizes vary for the type of participant but, from the WOHD website, we can see that FDI and IADS members could win a free ticket to the FDI World Dental Congress, a round trip flight and accommodation for the duration of the congress, a certificate, a trophy, and promotion of winning the award. For healthcare professionals and the general public, the prizes include WOHD merchandise, a certificate, and promotion of winning the award.
Brush and Boogie
https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/brushandboogie
Toothie Beaver is calling for you to take part in the Brush and Boogie movement, where you can encourage everyone you know to play their favourite song while brushing their teeth! This method is not only a fun way to start and end the day; it encourages children and adults alike to brush their teeth for two whole minutes by listening to the full length of a song at the same time. You can also go a step further and share videos and photos of yourself using the method on social media with #BrushandBoogie.
Resources
https://www.worldoralhealthday.org/resources
The WOHD website is full to the brim with resources such as videos, posters, fact sheets, and more to help you participate in the big day – whether you’re organising an event or simply spreading the word. So why not pop on over to their website (link above) to check them out? All of the resources are free to use as long as they’re used in their original form and are not for business promotion.
Summary
WOHD is a large event that aims to unite us all in the fight for better oral health – and there is no time like the present to get involved! While there is a wealth of resources and fun ways to get involved, you can still participate simply by spreading the word and making sure others know what the day is all about.
By Natasha Garthwaite BSc, RDN
