(02/08/2024) First grade students at Adams Elementary School received a dental health kit and educational materials during a short presentation with Dr. Eileen Crespo, a practicing pediatrician and Vice President of Medical Services at Delta Dental on Feb. 5. 

Each dental health kit contains critical oral health resources, including a toothbrush, fluoridated toothpaste, floss, a timer, a water bottle, an oral health educational booklet, and a calendar to help children track their brushing habits. View photos of students discovering their new dental health kits.

Students also watched an educational video on the importance of oral health featuring Dr. Crespo. 

“We see students come to the health office with tooth pain and they are either not followed by a dentist visit or in some cases have never been to a dentist,” said Julie Henderson, licensed school nurse at Adams and Hamilton Elementary schools. “Mouth pain from tooth decay can impact a student’s ability to focus and learn while at school.” 

Delta Dental will deliver over 50,000 dental health kits and educational materials to Minnesota first graders in February 2024, which was proclaimed Dental Health Month in Minnesota by Governor Tim Walz.

In Anoka-Hennepin alone, Delta Dental will be delivering dental health kits to first grade classrooms in 19 schools through the Smiles@School program.

“The partnership with Delta Dental and the community dental program — which provides students in grades 1-3 with the opportunity to have dental sealants applied within the school — can have a positive impact not only on the students but also their parents and siblings as they too can learn the importance of dental health,” Henderson said.