Oral Health Month Brings Awareness to U.S. Hispanic Community

Last week, the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) joined forces with Colgate-Palmolive once again for their annual Oral Health Month campaign. Kick-off events took place on June 2, with a special launch event at Los Angeles’s Plaza Mexico. In addition to live music and giveaways, participants had access to the Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures® mobile dental van, which provided bilingual learning materials and free dental screenings for children. The annual campaign seeks to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy smile, targeting the Hispanic community, which is often underserved in areas around our country.

“Our partnership with Colgate has given us the opportunity to address the various problems and adversities that contribute to poor oral health among the Latino population,” said Vidal Balderas, president of the Hispanic Dental Association, in a recent press release. “Since the inception of Colgate’s Oral Health Month campaign, we have been able to screen more than thousands of children and inform parents of oral care best practices.”

According to the press release, factors such as language barriers and lack of awareness contribute to the statistics that show a large portion of U.S. Latinos experience poor dental conditions and access. Colgate aims to improve these conditions by providing oral health tips and information. “At Colgate, we are committed to our goal of making oral health a priority for families across the nation, and believe programs like our annual Oral Health Month campaign help equip families with the right information to implement healthy oral care habits that will last a lifetime,” claimed Carla Kelly, General Manager, U.S. Multicultural Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive.

As part of the campaign, Colgate will be distributing bilingual dental health information at major retailers and online, in addition to offering free dental screenings to children in a number of communities around the country. Screenings will be offered on board the mobile fleet of Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® vans in Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and New York. Check out this calendar to find out dates and locations near you.