In Germany, 80 percent of twelve-year-olds are caries-free. This top international ranking is no coincidence. The most far-reaching prevention and health promotion offer for children and young people in the history of the Federal Republic made a decisive contribution to this: dental group prophylaxis. Dental Health Day on Sunday, September 25th focuses on this successful model under the slogan “Healthy starts in the mouth - in daycare and school”. The Essen-based “smilestore” is also taking part in the campaign and supporting the child protection association “Blauer Elefant” in the Essen city center.
Currently, around 4.6 million children and young people take part in group prophylaxis, often several times a year. The central content is the active teaching of child-friendly and effective oral hygiene, nutritional education, fluoridation measures to harden tooth enamel and preventive dental examinations in the facilities.
Group prophylaxis for a healthy lifestyle
Good dental health is not set in stone. With this background, the increase in early childhood tooth decay in Germany is, among other things, worrying. Nationwide, ten to 15 percent of children under three are affected. In order to reduce this preventable disease in all age groups, it is necessary to continuously motivate children and young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle as part of group prophylaxis.
Today, even the youngest children often stand next to each other at the child-sized sinks in the kindergarten washrooms and brush their teeth together with small toothbrushes and toothpaste. “We would like to contribute something and support the child protection association “Blauer Elefant” in downtown Essen with delicious toothpaste and tooth foams especially for kids,” explains Kimberley Priebe, teeth whitening expert and marketing manager from the “smilestore” in Rüttenscheid. Last year, the dental cosmetic studio, under the direction of Kay Link, supported the institution with dental care products. The project was so successful that Link and Priebe decided to repeat the campaign.
Get back to full speed
Unfortunately, the corona pandemic has had a very negative impact on the implementation of group prophylaxis. For a time, activities in many community facilities were completely stopped. In many daycare centers, for example, there was no group brushing - partly until today. Another reason for Link and his team to support the Child Protection Association with the necessary dental care products.
Dental Health Day is committed to ensuring that the group prophylactic measures carried out in daycare centers and schools resume full speed - and don't let up in the future either.
Information about the smilestore:
15 years ago, the passion for sparkling white teeth turned into reality: selling dental and oral care products in our own online shop. Kay Link quickly turned his small study into a warehouse, packing station and customer center all in one. So in 2013 he opened the smilestore toothpaste shop in Essen-Rüttenscheid. The idea for expansion came from his time as a trainer for teeth whitening for dentists all over Germany: the toothpaste shop was converted into a dental cosmetics studio. From now on, cosmetic teeth whitening could also be carried out on Girardetstrasse. With Kimberley Priebe, another teeth whitening expert with specialist knowledge was added. Kay Link's passion has remained with him over the past 15 years - to conjure up a beautiful and natural smile.
Source: https://www.lokalkompass.de/essen/c-ratgeber/gesund-beginnt-im-mund_a1782955 by Andrea Becker
