First-graders at three local elementary schools were recently given free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club by members of Duck Creek Masonic Lodge, led by Nick Oliver. The Masons assembled and delivered more than 280 dental hygiene kits to first-graders at Classical Center at Vial and Dorsey Elementary in Garland ISD, as well as Martha Turner Reilly Elementary in Dallas ISD.
The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas, strives to prevent suffering from toothaches, reduce missed school days due to dental problems and cut costs for treatment.
Prevent tooth decay kits contain: a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-minute timer (optimal brushing time), Tips for Healthy Teeth educational information for parents in both Spanish and English, and a summary of MHS services. Last year, Texas Masonic lodges partnered with MHS to distribute 125,738 Fantastic Teeth Fan Club kits and information to first-graders in 1,447 schools across the state.
According to Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. It is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Poor children are affected by this epidemic more frequently than other children, with nearly 12 times more restricted-activity days due to dental issues than children from higher-income families. With more than 1.5 million Texas children living in poverty, there is a great need for preventive dental care.
Dental problems also directly affect success for children, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year to dental-related illness. Teachers have judged both classroom performance and classroom behavior to be significantly poorer among children in need of dental care. Pain and suffering due to untreated dental disease can also lead to problems in eating and speaking.
Masonic Home and School of Texas is a nonprofit organization with a history of helping children across Texas for more than 100 years. Contact MHS by calling toll-free 1.877.203.9111; sending an email to info@mhstx.org; or by visiting the website, www.mhstx.org.