CATCH Healthy Smiles aims to improve oral health of kids K 2

Delta Dental Community Care Foundation announced Oct. 31 that it is the title sponsor of CATCH Healthy Smiles, a national oral health education program for youth in kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades.

CATCH Global Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to improve children's health worldwide that links underserved schools and communities to the resources necessary to create and sustain healthy change for future generations, according to the foundation's website.

CATCH Healthy Smiles is a program for grades K-2 that is designed to improve the oral health of students by teaching about and encouraging proper toothbrushing and flossing techniques, a nutritious diet, and regular visits to a dentist.

The program was developed by researchers at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, with funding support from the National Institutes of Health, according to the website.

"CATCH has been at the forefront of the movement to help schools value and prioritize teaching kids how to practice healthy behaviors," said Duncan Van Dusen, CEO,CATCH Global Foundation. "Thanks to the generosity of Delta Dental, we will be able to greatly expand on this movement and our mission to provide kids with access to health education that addresses the whole child through physical, mental, and oral health."

For more information, visit CATCH.org.