Crest® and Oral-B® Pro-Health FOR ME™ and Oral-B Stages Open up During National Children’s Dental Health Month

Crest and Oral-B Partner with Dentist, and Mom, Dr. Jennifer Salzer to Help Parents Keep Children’s Teeth Healthy

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oral health is an important issue, particularly for kids. A lack of adequate dental treatment may affect children’s speech, nutrition, growth and function, social development and quality of life.¹ Furthermore, tooth decay is still recognized as the most common chronic disease affecting children in the United States.² To raise awareness of kids’ oral health during the American Dental Association’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, Crest and Oral-B partnered with Dr. Jennifer Salzer, a dentist, orthodontist and mom, to help parents and their children brush up on healthy oral care habits.

“It is important for kids to brush, floss and rinse daily to help maintain a healthy mouth and prevent cavities from forming. I recommend the children’s oral health products from Crest and Oral-B because my kids love them and they are brands we all trust.”

“Cavities are caused by decay that can occur when foods containing carbohydrates or sugars become trapped in the grooves of the teeth and between teeth,” says Dr. Jennifer Salzer. “It is important for kids to brush, floss and rinse daily to help maintain a healthy mouth and prevent cavities from forming. I recommend the children’s oral health products from Crest and Oral-B because my kids love them and they are brands we all trust.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay affects more than 25 percent of U.S. children two to five years of age, and 50 percent of those 12 to 15 years of age.³ Fortunately, parents can help their children avoid dental health issues like cavities by establishing healthy routines early. Dr. Jennifer Salzer shares her tips below to help parents jump start their kids’ healthy habits during National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Lead by Example:

• Set a good example and let your kids learn by watching and imitating you as you brush, rinse, and floss.
• If you need to brush up on your own oral care knowledge, check out the Oral-B Stages “Parent’s Guide” available online at oralb.com/stages.

Mirror Mirror:

• Encourage your kids to brush in front of a mirror; it will help them see spots they may otherwise miss.
• To help keep track of their oral care routine enlist the help of a brushing chart to record each time your child brushes.

Make it Fun:

• To highlight National Children’s Dental Health Month watch this fun video about brushing with your children, and at the end of the month let them create their own!
• Download the “Make Brushing Magical” Activity Book available on DentalCare.com for fun, educational oral hygiene activities.
• Check out “Yuck Mouth,” the iPhone and Android app and online game designed by Crest and Oral-B to encourage healthy oral care habits.

Offer Choices:

• Have plenty of oral care supplies on hand for your kids in the flavors and designs they’ll be excited to use to encourage proper oral hygiene.
• The Oral-B Stages line is designed for kids four months to seven years of age. It features Disney^® characters and fun flavors to provide an appealing option for young children.
• For older kids, 8 years and up, who feel too grown up for “baby products”, there is the Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME line which comes in tween-friendly flavors and designs.

Brace Face:

• Show kids with braces how to brush using a two-step approach – from the top down, and then the bottom up – to help dislodge any food that may be stuck in the brackets.
• Provide your tween with great products like the Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME CrossAction Toothbrush which helps clean hard to reach areas or the Crest Pro-Health FOR ME Anti-Cavity Rinse which reaches where brushing may miss.

Crest and Oral-B offer a variety of oral care tools for children of all ages to help make celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month easy. More information about Oral-B Stages and Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME is available at oralb.com/stages and crestprohealth.com. Like Crest and Oral-B on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (@Crest, @OralB) to receive updates from the brands and learn more about children’s dental care.

ABOUT PROCTER & GAMBLE

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

¹ Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. Improving Access to Oral Health Care For Vulnerable and Underserved Populations. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/clinical/oralhealth/improvingaccess.pdf

² December 2009 issue of Academic Pediatrics titled, “Special Issue on Children's Oral Health”

³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral Health: Preventing Cavities, Gum Disease, Tooth Loss, and Oral Cancers. Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/pdf/2011/Oral-Health-AAG-PDF-508.pdf

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