FOCUS | ISSUE 6 | 2010

2011 CDHM Second

Grade Drawing Contest Encourage participation in your community’s schools; details at www.modental.org/cdhm

Each year the MDA Foundation hosts a Children’s Dental Health Month (CDHM) Drawing Contest for second graders across Missouri.

To enter the contest, students are asked to illustrate in their own way the 2011 national CDHM theme: “A Healthy Smile? It’s Easy to Find! Remember to brush & fl oss everyday!” Each school then chooses individual class winners and submits one entry per second grade class.

As a part of the contest, teachers are informed of the resources available through the MDA website and are asked to discuss the importance of good oral health as children work on entries, including good hygiene habits and healthy nutrition choices.

To encourage entries, the MDA Foundation awards gift cards to the fi rst through third place winners and provides dental kits to all the students of the winning class. To increase awareness among school administrators, the Foundation awards $200 to the school whose class has the winning entry!

Although the MDA strives to contact all Missouri schools to announce the contest and invite entries, you can help us boost participation—and spread oral health education—by encouraging entries from your community’s schools. If you know someone in the school district, why not send a personal note about the contest and even offer to come speak to their class about oral health topics? For more ideas on celebrating CDHM in your offi ce and community, plus activity sheets and more, check out the 2011 CDHM Program Planning Guide at www.modental.org/cdhm. We encourage you also to display the included poster in your offi ce as a conversation starter. You may request additional posters from the MDA (email admin@modental.org).

Get kids doodling about dentistry!

With events like Children’s Dental Month, Give Kids a Smile and more just around the corner, there’s no better time to inquire about the variety of MDA education resources available to members! If you’re conducting dental health events for your community, through school and civic activities, the MDA and the MDA Foundation can help you make a great presentation. We have materials for display and brochures for handouts, and we’ll be glad to send you the resources so that you may easily provide a presentation in your community.

26 To learn more or to request the display or brochures, contact Margie Kunze (margie@modental.org).

Dental Scholarship Apps Coming Soon A total of 4 dental scholarships ($2,000 each) will be available.

Look for details to be emailed soon. New this year, scholarships are open to all Missouri dental students, who are MDA members, beginning 2nd through 4th year (not just seniors).

Learn more about membership and join/pay online www.modental.org/students Scholarships are awarded through the generosity of

On February 4, 2011, thousands of dentists across the country will take time from their practices to help underserved children get the oral health care they need.

Give Kids A Smile® Day is an annual volunteer event that provides free educational, preventive and restorative services to children from low- income families.

Last year, we worked together to provide care to more than 330,000 kids. Let’s make it half a million this year.

One day. Half a million smiles.

Volunteer registration is now open at givekidsasmile.ada.org.

f d forth ught Attention

Students!

Plan to join us for the 3 Food for Thought lunches in 2011 on Wednesdays at Noon at UMKC

February 16 • March 23 • April 13

Special thanks to Missouri Dental Insurance Services for their generous sponsorship of Food For Thought

In a recent Focus, we failed to announce MDIS as a sponsor of one of the 2010 Dental Scholarships. We thank them for their continued support of dental students.