FDI President Elect attends second-phase launch of Smile Around the World in China
FDI President Elect Dr Gerhard Seeberger attended the second-phase launch of FDI’s Smile Around the World initiative in Jiangxi province on 20 March. Dr Seeberger gave opening remarks alongside representatives from FDI’s implementing partners, the Chinese Stomatological Association and 3M Oral Care. The ceremony welcomed 90 teachers, 1,100 primary school students, and a handful of dentists and volunteers.
Smile Around the World aims to raise awareness about oral health through engaging educational activities for children. Participative workshops on oral health in three elementary schools are currently being implemented in the cities of Pingxiang and Ganzhou in Jiangxi province: Jinxian Primary School, Primary School Affiliated to Pingxiang Normal University, and Yifu Primary School.
"Access to oral healthcare remains uneven throughout the world, including in China. Through Smile Around the World, we aim to reinforce children’s oral health knowledge, with a clear focus on preventive care. As a dentist myself, I believe that together with health promotion and treatment, prevention drastically lowers the risk of oral diseases and minimizes their impact on general health."
Smile Around the World aims to introduce the importance of oral health through a series of educational workshops that will help children establish good oral health habits from a young age. The curriculum is based on seven essential steps to ensure a healthy mouth and smile. As part of the programme, children receive coloured pencils and an informational booklet to illustrate their own oral health messages.
The last initiative ran from March to June 2018 in six primary schools in three Chinese provinces – Ningxia, Shaanxi and Yunnan – and reached over 3,600 children.
