{"id":17573,"date":"2026-02-26T07:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17573"},"modified":"2026-02-26T07:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:40:59","slug":"crater-health-district-encourages-healthy-dental-habits-among-children","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-encourages-healthy-dental-habits-among-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Crater Health District Encourages Healthy Dental Habits Among Children"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>February 25, 2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> RaShel Charles, PIO, <a href=\"mailto:RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov\">RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Tara Rose, Alternate PIO, <a href=\"mailto:Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov\">Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Crater Health District Encourages Healthy Dental Habits Among Children<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>February is National Children\u2019s Dental Health Month<\/em><\/p>\n<p>PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013 The Crater Health District reminds parents, guardians and caregivers to begin teaching young children about the importance of good dental health habits.<\/p>\n<p>Children can get a jump start on a lifetime of good oral health by focusing on maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Positive strategies include incorporating oral health hygiene routines at home along with scheduling regular dental visits. Good oral health should begin as early as infancy and young children should ideally see a dentist by their first birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Cavities are the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/prevention\/oral-health-tips-for-children.html\">common chronic childhood disease<\/a> in the United States. More than half of children aged six to eight years have had a cavity in at least one of their baby teeth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNational Children\u2019s Dental Health Month is a perfect reminder that good oral health starts early,\u201d said Dr. Alton Hart, Jr., Health Director for the Crater Health District. \u201cDaily brushing, regular dental visits, and healthy eating habits set the foundation for a lifetime of strong teeth and overall health and well\u2011being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/resources\/community-initiatives\/national-childrens-dental-health-month\">National Children\u2019s Dental Health Month<\/a> is observed during February each year. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ada.org\/\">American Dental Association<\/a> designated the national health observance to promote the benefits of good oral health.<\/p>\n<p>Adults can assist children with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/prevention\/oral-health-tips-for-children.html\">developing healthy habits<\/a> in the following ways.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Brush their teeth twice a day with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/prevention\/about-fluoride.html\">fluoride<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Help your child brush their teeth until they have good brushing skills use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and always spit it out rather than swallow.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your child\u2019s dentist to apply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/oral-health\/dental-sealant-program\/\">dental sealants<\/a> when appropriate. Applying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/prevention\/about-dental-sealants.html\">dental sealants<\/a> to the back teeth prevents 80% of cavities.<\/li>\n<li>Drinking fluoridated tap water when possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Through strong community partnerships, such as the collaboration with the Petersburg Wellness Consortium (PWC), The Crater Health District is committed to expanding oral health awareness in the community. The PWC serves as a vital community connector, linking physicians, service providers, and researchers with residents to increase access to oral health information and services.<\/p>\n<p>The case for prioritizing oral hygiene continues to grow. Research shows clear connections between oral health and chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, as well as pregnancy outcomes in<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>adults. Coordinated care that integrates both oral and general health services is a critical step toward improving overall health<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about oral health for children at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/oral-health\/\">www.vdh.virginia.gov\/oral-health\/<\/a> for more information about Crater Health District visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/crater\/services\/\">Services &amp; Programs \u2013 Crater Health District<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 25, 2026 Media Contact: RaShel Charles, PIO, RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: Tara Rose, Alternate PIO, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; Crater Health District Encourages Healthy Dental Habits Among Children February is National Children\u2019s Dental Health Month PETERSBURG, Va. \u2013 The Crater Health District reminds parents, guardians and caregivers to begin teaching young children about the importance of good [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1280,372,1501,1543,1140,1038,1502],"class_list":["post-17573","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-american-dental-association","tag-crater-health-district","tag-dental-health","tag-dental-sealants","tag-dr-alton-hart","tag-fluoride","tag-national-childrens-dental-health-month"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Crater Health District Encourages Healthy Dental Habits Among Children - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/crater-health-district-encourages-healthy-dental-habits-among-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crater Health District Encourages Healthy Dental Habits Among Children - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"February 25, 2026 Media Contact: RaShel Charles, PIO, RaShel.Charles@vdh.virginia.gov Media Contact: Tara Rose, Alternate PIO, Tara.Rose@vdh.virginia.gov &nbsp; 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