Maryland’s Eastern Shore with the primary goal of decreasing the rate of oral disease and improving the oral and overall health of at-risk populations in our communities.
For our earliest learners in the 0–7-year-old age group we offer the much loved and adored “Tooth Fairy’s Helper Program”, where program coordinator Mrs. Donohue-Vega dresses up as The Tooth Fairy’s Helper and uses puppets, marionettes and “Toothy Tunes” in which the lyrics of popular children’s songs have been changed to deliver the oral health message. The program is interactive and encourages our early learners to take part in the lesson. Every child in attendance receives a dental health kit, which includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, 2-
minute timer, sticker, brochures, and local dental clinic information.
Through education and providing oral hygiene products we aim to decrease the rate of oral disease amongst our youth, which we know will help to improve school attendance and academic performance in addition to having a direct benefit on the overall health of our youth population. The target population of this program is 0–7-year old’s at Library playgroups, Judy Centers, Head Start Programs and Title I schools.