Dental Health
Week

Dental Health Week (DHW) is the Australian Dental Association's (ADA) major annual oral health campaign. It takes place each year in the first full week of August. In 2022, DHW will run from 1 to 7 August. 

The campaign focuses on the importance of taking steps to care for your teeth and gums to help you to keep your teeth and smile for life.

The ADA's main oral health messages and the four key messages of the DHW campaign aim to reinforce the importance of maintaining good oral health to keep your teeth for life.

Campaign messages

1) Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.

2) Clean between your teeth daily using floss or interdental brushes.

3) Eat a healthy, balanced diet and limit added sugar intake.

4) Visit the dentist regularly for check-ups and preventive care.

It should not be a normal to expect that you will need to have some teeth removed because of tooth decay or gum disease. After all, you do not expect to lose an arm or leg, so why expect to lose any of your teeth? Australians should expect to keep their teeth for their lifetime and by following the steps listed above, they can reach this goal.

There are multiple ways to get information about oral health during Dental Health Week. If you have not had a recent visit to the dentist, it is a great time to make an appointment. A visit to your dentist for face-to-face advice is the best way to get your questions answered. If you don’t have a regular dentist, check out the ADA’s Find A Dentist search engine to find an ADA member dentist near you.
If you are looking for information, click through the teeth.org.au website to find trustworthy and up-to-date oral health advice written by dentists from around Australia. 
 

More ADA resources

Watch Your Mouth podcast

ADA’s oral health education podcast, Watch Your Mouth, includes easy to understand oral health information that can be listened to on-the-go. The first series focuses on infant and young child oral health, hosted by Jimmy Rees, aka Jimmy Giggle from Giggle and Hoot.
 

School lessons

Together with SugarByHalf, the ADA has created school lessons aligned with the national curriculum, free for teachers to download and use. These lessons incorporate oral health into everyday topics, such as maths, and science. Lessons based on ADA's children's book, Guardians of the Gums, are also available. 
 

Children's books

ADA's children storybook Guardians of the Gums, created together with BeeHealthy Stories and SugarByHalf, tells the battle faced by the Guardians of the Gums as they protect the teeth from sugar and bacteria. 
Read the free e-book HERE.
Read the free early childhood e-book HERE.

 

Media enquiries

If you are interested in putting together a story for Dental Health Week, the Australian Dental Association has a number of spokespeople, and information on a range of oral health topics, infographics and ADA research data.

To contact the ADA's Media Advisor Jenny Barlass, fill out the below form, call 0484 869 086, or email ADA Media at [email protected].