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In February 1941, a one-day event was held at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, to promote children's dental health. Eight years later, on February 8, 1949, the American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children's Dental Health Day. It then became a full-week event in 1955 before arriving at its current form as the National Children's Dental Health Month in 1981. 

What the NCDHM aims to achieve

The NCDHM aims to raise awareness of the importance of children developing good oral health practices at a very young age to ensure healthier smiles. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), which spearheads the event, states that every child should receive their first dental exam by the time they turn a year old to ensure they have no dental problems.

How you can commemorate the event

Here are a few ways you can commemorate this Dental Health Month with your little ones:

Visit a dentist

Take your child to your family dentist for a routine check-up to ensure their dental development is on schedule and to root out any possible issues that may have cropped up. 

Teach them how to brush

Kids learn things by imitating their parents. However, sometimes their imitation may only be an interpretation of an activity. Hence you can use the dental health month to teach your child how to brush if they do so unattended. 

Buy new toothbrushes

Toothbrushes need to be changed regularly once every quarter. So, take the time this dental health month to throw out the old toothbrush and bring in a new one to encourage and excite your child to continue the habit.

Show them what plaque looks like

Kids don't know what plaque looks like or the harm that it may cause. So, you can use a plaque-displaying tablet to show them what it looks like and educate them on just how important brushing is.

To sum it up, kids learn and inculcate healthy oral hygiene habits at a very young age. Hence, it is absolutely essential for parents to get them started as early as possible to ensure they don't suffer dental issues later in life.