Resources for Educators

K-12 EducationP1030375 by BU_Dental.

American Dental Association (ADA): Smile Smarts! Oral Health Curriculum. An oral health curriculum for students in preschool through grade 8 offering lesson plans, support materials, hands-on classroom demonstrations, student activity sheets, and suggestions for supplemental oral health activities. Also see ADA’s classroom resources for National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM)

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Database. Information about journal articles, research reports, teaching guides, curricula, conference papers, and books covering all aspects of education-related issues. To identify resources on the topic, click on Advanced Search. Type “dental health” OR “oral health” in the Search Term(s) box. Go to the Publication Date field to select a date range. Click on the Search button to get your results. ERIC is sponsored by the Department of Education.

KidsHealth in the Classroom. Guides for teaching students about oral health in preschool through grade 2, grades 6–8, and grades 9–12. The guides include discussion questions, activities, and handouts. Enter teeth in the search box to get the guides and supporting materials. KidsHealth is a service of the Nemours Foundation.

Virginia Division of Dental Health: Curriculum Resources for Schools. A curriculum to educate students about the impact of health behaviors on oral and overall health. The curriculum includes lesson plans for school staff to use with elementary, middle, and high school students; PowerPoint presentations; and activity sheets.

Oral Health Resource Guides

Promoting Oral Health in Schools: A Resource Guide provides references to journal articles, reports and other materials, and organizations to assist health professionals, program administrators, educators, researchers, policymakers, parents, and others working in school settings prevent disease and promote oral health in children and adolescents. (44 pages)  (National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center)

The Oral Health Resource Bulletin is a series that provides information about current materials of interest. A brief synopsis and acquisition information is provided for each item.

Oral Health for Children with Special Health Care Needs: Priorities for Action—Recommendations from an MCHB Expert Meeting summarizes strategies and key partners for improving the oral health of children with special health care needs as well as the oral health care delivery system for this population in three priority areas: medical home and dental home interface, education and training, and financing. (20 pages) (National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center)Head Start Resources

Be an Oral Health Champion is a booklet geared toward Head Start staff. The booklet is designed to help Head Start staff become aware of problems children with poor oral health may experience and to provide them with ideas for how they can promote optimal oral health and prevent oral disease in young children.

Head Start Oral Health Curricula at-a-Glance PDF | Excel compares components of oral-health-related curricula appropriate for use in Head Start programs. For each curriculum, the matrix specifies the title, audience, topics, and availability. The Excel version can be used to sort data in the matrix. (4 pages)

Healthy Children, Happy Smiles (DVD) – This training video for Head Start staff, teachers, and parents provides information on improving oral health for children and families. It features an introduction and five narrated segments focusing on oral health during pregnancy, the importance of primary teeth, dental cavities, guidance for parents and staff, and eating for oral health success. The video includes a sixth segment for Head Start staff, outlining program regulations and oral health resources. To request single copies, please call the HRSA Information Center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-HRSA (275-4772). This publication is available for U.S. requests only.

Oral Health Knowledge Path

This knowledge path about oral health for infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women has been compiled by the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) and the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at improving access to oral health care and quality of oral health for infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women. A separate section lists resources for consumers. The final part of the knowledge path presents resources on specific aspects of oral health: child care and Head Start, dental caries, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, K–12 education, pregnancy, school-based and school-linked care, and special health care needs. This knowledge path is designed for health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, and consumers, and it will be updated annually.