Omaha first graders given free prevent tooth decay kits by local masons

All first graders at Pewitt Elementary School were recently given free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. Members of David Elliott Masonic Lodge, led by James Clark, assembled and delivered more than 60 dental hygiene kits to the school.

The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas (MHS), strives to prevent suffering from toothaches, reduce missed school days due to dental problems, and cut costs for dental treatment.

Prevent tooth decay kits contain: a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, twominute timer (optimal brushing time), Tips for Healthy Teeth educational info for parents in both Spanish and English, and a summary of MHS services.

According to Oral Health In America: A Report of the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease— 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 higherincome 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 dentalrelated 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.