News
Bright Smiles for Children in Need.
28 July 2008
A new national initiative called 'Bright Smiles' was launched Monday July 28th. This program has been designed to treat children in need. There is an urgent requirement to tackle the problem of children's oral health in underprivileged families.
The following stats help to tell the story!
- Up to 16% of Australian children aged 4-10 have decay in more than 30% of their teeth.
- Almost half of Australia's six-year-olds have cavities in their baby teeth.
- Our 12-year-olds have worse dental health than children in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, England, Wales and Switzerland to name but a few.
The campaign aims to recruit volunteer dentists across Australia to donate their time and deliver oral health care where it is most needed. Volunteer dentists and their staff will be matched with kids from families who are doing it tough.
A number of our Dental Care Network practices have already kindly offered their support and Dr Nick Hocking has kicked off the 'Bright Smiles' campaign as the first dentist to treat a child under the new initiative.