National Children's Dental Health Month

February is the perfect time to help students brush up on good oral health habits with these dental health and literacy resources.

Reports show that American students miss 51 million hours of school every year because of oral health problems. And students who are absent miss critical instruction time—especially in early grades where reading skills are an important focus and the building blocks of future learning. And students who have experienced recent oral health pain are four times more likely to have lower grade point averages than their counterparts who have not.

That's why NEA's Read Across America and its sponsor, Renaissance Dental, are celebrating National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of good oral health. Parents and childrens are encouraged to brush their teeth for two minutes, two times per day, and read for 20 minutes as a way of building good oral health and literacy habits.

To further help educators and parents promote good oral health and literacy skills, check out these resources.

Oral Health Books for Kids

Want to make learning about taking care of teeth fun? Then, have your students sink their teeth into a good book. Choose from dozens of children's books about teeth, oral health, the tooth fairy, and visiting the dentist. Includes grade and reading levels. (pdf file, 1.2 MB).

Chew on This: Fun Tooth Facts for a Healthy Mouth

What mammal has teeth but can't chew? How much toothpaste does the average person use over a lifetime? And when did brushing your teeth twice a day become a common practice? Learn the answers, and more, with these surprising facts about teeth and oral health. (pdf file, 800 KB).