49{20335960d828ac45ef5fde98a5aa7f4c1fb21de0715bafc997f46433d5bf3454} of people ages 1-20 have received a preventive dental care visit (C)
66{20335960d828ac45ef5fde98a5aa7f4c1fb21de0715bafc997f46433d5bf3454} of third-graders have cavities or fillings (F)
Singleton said it’s important for children to brush twice a day, floss each day and visit a dentist twice a year. Choosing water as much as possible over sugary drinks and foods is key, too.
She said there are a great deal of oral health needs in the state.
“The key is getting kids trained up early on to value their oral health,” Singleton said. “To know that they’re going to keep those teeth for a lifetime, to expect to keep them for a lifetime, to empower them to feel like what they’re doing is making a difference, that brushing really will help.
“If you can instill that early on and get that habit going, that’s where we’re going to see the difference as adults.”
Singleton said Captain Supertooth’s high-energy and interactive presentations often took place in cafeterias or gymnasiums for large groups of kids.
The reworked program allows kids in one-on-one type settings to participate, which can be “an interesting adventure for the Captain, too” because of the new level of interaction, she said.
Captain Supertooth has done some in-person visits to classrooms and also can do the presentation virtually to an individual classroom, with the program aimed at quality over quantity.