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About the Campaign

Partner Toolkit

The following toolkit was developed to help all those working to combat Berks County’s oral health crisis. It includes foundational language and talking points about the Brush Up on Oral Health! campaign as well as customizable content, including social media posts, draft blog or op-ed posts and more.

These materials are meant to educate children and their families about the importance of oral health and point them to resources to access the oral health services across the county, but it can also be used to support funding and advocacy efforts, inform medical and dental providers about importance of pediatric oral health and more.

We encourage all those working with young children, parents and caregivers of young children, pregnant or new parents as well as those across the dental and medical communities to use these materials throughout the year.

The full toolkit is available for download here, or use the navigation below to find specific content for your needs.

Additional resources will be posted here over time. If you have any questions or need additional resources, contact Monica Reyes at 610-685-2223 or monicar@bccf.org.

Brush Up Berks Campaign Toolkit

About the Brush Up on Oral Health! Campaign

The following is draft language to use in explaining the focus and goals of the campaign.

The Brush Up on Oral Health! campaign is a community-driven alliance convened by the Berks County Community Foundation to turn the tide on the county’s poor oral health.

With a diverse representation of leaders across many sectors – including medical and dental providers, educators, nonprofits and community leaders – the campaign team is committed to increasing the number of parents and caregivers who understand the importance of their children’s oral health.

Over the next two years, the campaign is focused on:

  • Ensuring pediatricians, family practitioners and dentists are all receiving consistent information on the best oral health recommendations for kids under five years old.
  • Expanding programs that already exist to improve oral health in Berks County.
  • Educating pregnant moms as well as parents and caregivers of children under age five on the top oral health care tips and helping them get their kids the best oral health services they can.

By focusing on young children in Berks County, we’re catching them at the most vulnerable age for oral health issues, establishing healthy practices and beginning to curb the county’s poor dental health issues.

Guidelines

The Brush Up on Oral Health! campaign developed the following guidelines for all pediatricians, family practitioners and dentists to share with their patients and families. Our goal is for both the medical and dental community to use a consistent set of guidelines with all patients. They follow the guidelines set forth by the American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.

Downloadable handouts are available here [English, Spanish]. If you need hard copies to distribute, contact Monica Reyes at 610-685-2223 or monicar@bccf.org.

Did you know that healthy teeth are important for overall health? Your teeth matter! Below are guidelines to help make your family’s oral health a priority.

  • Brush twice a day for two minutes – just a smear of toothpaste is okay! Adults, help your little ones.
  • Floss daily when teeth begin to touch.
  • Schedule your child’s first dental visit by his or her first birthday.
  • Limit juice (1/2 cup) and sugary foods to once a day with a meal.
  • Drink only water between meals. Fluoridated water is best!
  • Fluoride varnish, sealants and fluoridated toothpaste prevent cavities.
  • Call 211(pa211east.org) for help!

Sample Talking Points

The following sections include draft talking points to customize when talking about the campaign or when speaking to important audiences: the medical and dental community, parents and caregivers of young children, pregnant moms and government policymakers. They are tailored with these audience targets in mind.

Overarching Talking Points About the Campaign

  • It is critical for children under the age of three to see a dentist to prevent lifelong problems, such as infection and tooth decay that can cause pain, difficulty succeeding in school and increased health care costs throughout their lives.
  • The Brush Up on Oral Health! campaign is a community-driven alliance convened to turn the tide on the county’s poor oral health.
    • The campaign is commissioned by Berks County Community Foundation with funding provided by DentaQuest Foundation.
  • With a diverse representation of leaders across many sectors – including medical and dental providers, educators, nonprofits and community leaders – the campaign team is committed to increasing the number of parents and caregivers who understand the importance of their children’s oral health.
  • Over the next two years, the campaign is focused on:
    • Ensuring pediatricians, family practitioners and dentists are all receiving consistent information on the best oral health recommendations for kids under five years old.
    • Expanding programs that already exist to improve oral health in Berks County.
    • Educating pregnant moms as well as parents and caregivers of children under age five on the top oral health care tips and helping them get their kids the best oral health services they can.
  • By focusing on young children in Berks County, we’re catching them at the most vulnerable age for oral health issues, establishing healthy practices and beginning to curb the county’s poor dental health issues.

Sample Talking Points: Medical and Dental Community

For pediatricians, family practitioners and dentists

  • Poor oral health is a chronic infectious disease but one of the most preventable health problems for kids in Berks County. However, many parents and caregivers are unaware of all the oral health programs and services that are available to keep their child healthy.
    • It is critical for children under the age of three to see a dentist to prevent lifelong problems, such as infection and tooth decay that can cause pain, difficulty succeeding in school and increased health care costs throughout their lives.
  • No one medical provider can solve this problem alone.
  • We need pediatricians, family practitioners, OB/GYN professionals, dentists and others in the medical and dental community to work together to educate families on the importance of their kid’s oral health.
    • This includes pediatricians and family practitioners applying a fluoride varnish to young patients, OB/GYN professionals teaching new moms and dads about the importance their newborn’s oral health, dentists providing oral health services for kids under age 5 and the entire medical community referring patients to the appropriate provider when they discover poor oral health in patients.
  • Kids in Berks County will achieve better overall health when their parents and caregivers are getting consistent oral health guidelines from both their pediatrician and dentist.

Sample Talking Points: Parents and Caring Adults

For parents and caregivers of kids under age 5 and pregnant moms

  • You want to ensure that your child has everything he or she needs to begin a healthy life. A child’s oral health is inextricably linked to his or her overall health.
  • Take these small steps to ensure your child learns healthy dental habits:
    • Brush twice a day for two minutes – just a smear of toothpaste is okay!
    • Floss daily when teeth begin to touch.
    • Schedule your child’s first dental visit by his or her first birthday.
    • Limit juice (1/2 cup) and sugary foods to once a day with a meal.
    • Drink only water between meals. Fluoridated water is best!
    • Fluoride varnish, sealants and fluoridated toothpaste prevent cavities.
  • Good oral health care saves parents money in the long run. Several dentists in Berks County accept Medicaid or can provide dental services for free. Call 211 (pa211east.org) for help!
  • Your child’s smile and dental hygiene are important not only for their overall health, but also for building confidence down the road in school, relationships and jobs.

Sample Talking Points: Government Leaders and Funders

For government leaders and other important decision makers who fund oral health services

  • A child’s oral health is inextricably linked to his or her overall health. It affects both their physical and mental health and, in turn, their overall success in life.
    • Children who grow up with poor oral health face higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and other conditions later in life.
    • When a child’s poor oral health is not treated, it can lead to situations where they are negatively judged and socially stigmatized, which affects mental health and wellbeing.
    • People with untreated dental problems often have difficulty finding jobs, which lowers employment. This results in lost earning potential for our county by decreasing tax revenues and economic activity.
  • We need to support oral health for all people, especially for our children. Unfortunately, too many Berks County residents don’t have access to all the keys they need to access good oral health – no matter how hard they try. This includes having access to:
    • fluoridated water and nutritious food,
    • insurance that covers dental benefits,
    • and dentists who treat young children and accept different kinds of health insurance.
  • We need to ensure all Berks County community members have the keys they need to access good oral health – especially our youngest residents.
  • The Brush Up on Oral Health! Campaign is focused on increasing the number of places where families of young children can access programs that help prevent or catch serious problems before they progress.
  • We can reduce the cost of oral health by stopping problems before they start.

Social Media

The following posts are a starting point for use across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We selected a few hashtags and handles for you to integrate into the posts, but here are a series of others to include as helpful:

  • #BrushUpBerks
  • #211help
  • #BerksOralHealth
  • #DentaQuest
  • #BerksCounty
  • #ReadingPa
  • @DentaQuest
  • @oralhealth2020
  • @PA211East (Facebook and Twitter)
  • @BerksFoundation (Twitter and Instagram)
  • @Berkscountycommunityfoundation (Facebook)

Draft posts

  • #Oralhealth affects overall health. It’s time we give everyone the keys they need to access good oral health. Learn more about #BrushUpBerks at brushupberks.org.
  • #BrushUpBerks created a simple set of guidelines to help all children and their families pave a path to good oral health. Learn more at brushupberks.org.
  • A child’s oral health is inextricably linked to his or her overall health. Follow the #BrushUpBerks guidelines to set your child up for success. (Graphic here.)

Ready-to-share posts

The Berks County Community Foundation also created a series of social media posts, including graphics, that can easily be shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There are many more to pull from in addition to what’s below. Visit the BCCF social media pages to find more:

Facebook:

Twitter:

Instagram:

Draft Blog or Op-Ed

The following is a basic template to help in crafting a blog or op-ed about your work in improving oral health. It’s written from the point of view of an organization leader focused on supporting young children, but you can adapt to fit your organization’s mission and focus. Some tips as you adapt:

  • Pull from the above talking points to adjust the language you use, depending on which audiences you aim to target.
  • Keep it written as first person point of view. The more personal you can make it, the better.
  • Be sure to include an “ask” – what do you want your reader to do as a result?

If you need help crafting or placing an op-ed, contact Monica Reyes at 610-685-2223 or monicar@bccf.org.

Healthy Smiles, Healthy Communities

My career is about helping children reach their fullest potential. Little did I know I’d find myself focusing on good oral health as part of my work. [Add detail on how you first got involved with oral health and why.]

The reality is, Berks County has a lot to lose by not making oral health a priority.

We know that it’s critical for children under the age of three to adopt good oral health habits to prevent lifelong problems – such as infection and tooth decay – that can cause pain, difficulty succeeding in school and increased health care costs throughout their lives. Poor oral health can also lead to situations where they are negatively judged and socially stigmatized, which affects mental health and wellbeing. This can also make it harder for these young people to find jobs when they are older.

But we can’t solve it with a one-size-fits-all approach. When it comes to oral health care, different people have different needs. Some people need public transportation to get to dental offices. Some people can only see dentists on nights and weekends. And some people need to see providers who speak their language.

As a member of the Brush Up on Oral Health! Campaign, I’ve joined with dozens of other community leaders, medical and dental providers and concerned parents working to ensure good oral health care is available everywhere – especially for our youngest generation.

One of our first priorities is to ensure there are more programs and places for young children to receive oral health care. We’re investing in programs across Head Start, preschools, the Reading School District and more. We’re also working with medical and dental providers across the county to share the same guidelines about oral health with their patients. We also want to help more dentists treat young patients and accept a wider variety of insurances.

[Add detail on specific projects you or your organization are working on.]

[Include a specific “ask” you want of your reader: invest in more oral health programs through the city budget process; ask your dentist to accept Medicaid; encourage your school to host an oral health clinic; etc.]

By focusing on young children in Berks County, we’re catching them at the most vulnerable age for oral health issues, establishing healthy practices and beginning to curb the county’s poor dental health issues.

When our little ones have healthy mouths, they’re also more likely to have healthy bodies and minds. And when we have healthier children, we have a healthier Berks County.

Other Resources

Below are some other resources that might be useful for you as you use these materials: