Smile! February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – a great time to promote the benefits of good oral hygiene, because developing good dental health habits (including regular dental visits) helps children get a jump start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. The American Dental Association has chosen this year’s campaign slogan to be “Brush, Floss, Smile!”

National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 1941. The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on Feb. 8, 1949. The single day observance became a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long observance known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month. Since 1941, the observance has grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program.