Parents: Take the 2×2+20 Challenge for Healthy Smiles and Mind

How many times should children brush their teeth each day and how long should they brush? Chances are many parents might not know. The Ad Council recently kicked off its newest 2min2x campaign (www.2min2x.org) to help educate parents and guide kids toward brushing their teeth for two minutes, twice per day.

We applaud the Ad Council’s approach. Our recently-launched Brighter Futures initiative also focuses on the advancement of kid’s oral health and aligns perfectly with the 2min2x effort. As an added component to our strategy, we’ve incorporated the importance of literacy into the mix.”

“We’d like to challenge parents and caregivers to add a new variable to the 2×2 equation – read with or to your children for 20 minutes each day.According to The Reading Foundation, “Just 20 minutes of reading aloud each day with young children strengthens relationships, encourages listening and language skills, promotes attention and curiosity, and establishes a strong education foundation.” These skills are pivotal to success in school and in life.A study recently conducted by the Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California linked low school grades to poor oral health. It sounds elementary, but the connection may be more common than you might think. According to the study, children without access to dental care were nearly four times more likely to have a lower grade point average than those with access. Further, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service estimates that 51 million hours of school are missed annually among school-aged children because of oral health issues.Healthy, well-educated children are our most valuable resource. Today’s youth will be tomorrow’s dentists, doctors, scientists, teachers, business innovators and political leaders. With so much at stake, we must make sure that children show up for school every day healthy and ready to learn. Building good oral health and reading habits early can make a difference in a child’s ability to read, learn and achieve.

So take the 2×2+20 challenge. Brush for two minutes, twice per day and read with your child 20 minutes each day. That’s just 24 minutes of time in 24 hours making it easy math for a healthy body and mind—not a lot to ask to help ensure brighter futures for kids! “

Sources:

Deltal Dental http://bit.ly/YrfYW1

Reading Foundation http://www.readingfoundation.org/more.jsp
PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22813093