Community and Workplace:

The Scottish Executive has set a target of 90% of adults to have retained some natural teeth by 2010.

Community and Workplaces programme 2008 - 2009

National Smile Month - is a high profile education campaign co-ordinated by the British Dental Health Foundation. Forth Valley targets the promotion of National Smile Month towards Healthy Working Lives (HWL) Workplaces, Community Pharmacies and Dental Practices.  The 2008 campaign focuses on 'Brush for Health' to highlight the link between oral health and overall body health; focusing on the gum disease and the risk of serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and low birth weight babies.

Resources available to support National Smile Month:
Brush for Health Poster 2008	(PDF 129 kb -  1 page)
Brush for Health Leaflet 2008	(PDF 507 kb -  2 pages)

Mouth Cancer Awareness Week - is a national campaign to raise awareness of mouth cancer and associated risk factors in workplace and community settings.

Resources will be distributed during October.  Should you have any queries regarding the distribution of resources please contact Fiona Macfarlane or for further information view Mouth Cancer Awareness Week website.

Workplace and Community General Interventions 

Programmes are planned -

• to increase the levels of knowledge around key dental health behaviour messages with a special focus on effective tooth brushing and dental benefits of chewing xylitol based sugar free gum after consuming food and drink containing added sugar.
  
  
• to increase opportunities for oral health promoting behaviour in HWL's workplaces. (for HWL training information visit Workplace
  
  
• to increase capacity amongst those with a remit for health improvement promoting oral health messages and support oral health promoting behaviours

Interventions -

• Plan and develop local media campaign
  
• Customise HWL's Smile pack for use in Forth Valley workplaces
  
• Provide input into awareness raising events within each of the 3 CHP areas.