The Bradford Rotary Club will be promoting dental wellness for children in our area including educating parents/ caregivers of young children at this year’s McKean County Kids Fest on April 28.
Rotarian Dr. Javed Ahktar, M.D. brought the project of dental wellness to the club as a potential initiative after noting through his medical practice, a large percentage of young children with an alarming amount of tooth decay.
“This initiative is a great way for the Rotary Club to have a positive impact,” said Bill Chapman, Bradford Rotary Club president. “We are pleased to be a part of an important community event like Kids Fest again this year, and are also grateful that we are able to support the developmental health of local children through this project.”
According to experts, the first teeth are important developmentally, for a child’s speech, eating and facial appearance. They establish a space in the mouth for adult teeth, allowing the permanent teeth to grow and develop normally. Early loss of the first teeth can lead to overcrowding when adult teeth appear. This may lead to the child needing orthodontic treatment (braces) in later years.
Rotary Club members will have a dental wellness display with “lil-allie-gators”, which are stuffed animals with child size teeth for children to practice good brushing and flossing habits; the Rotary will also give out age-appropriate toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss and dental timers.
Since tooth decay is preventable and dental wellness is such an important component to a child’s overall development, the Bradford Rotary Club also plans to partner with other local organizations who serve children like the YWCA Shelter, the YMCA Child Care and CARE for Children (who send home developmental and safety items and information with every baby born at the local hospital), to give out the free dental kits for those in need.
Dr. Nate Carlson, DMD, and Carlson Dental Associates in Port Allegany helped the Rotary Club with picking out and ordering the dental supplies. Colgate donated 500 tubes of children’s toothpaste and dental health information. Rotary District #7280 is providing a matching grant to help offset the cost for the display, dental supplies and materials.
The Kids Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 28 at the Bradford Family YMCA.
