Colgate gets Raveena Tandon to participates in the "Adopt a School' program with little dentists!

Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited ("Colgate"), the market leader in oral care and the Indian Dental Association (IDA), rolled out its annual national awareness program - "Oral Health Month' (OHM), earlier this week. Spread over two months - December 2011 and January 2012, during OHM, Colgate and IDA will focus on creating awareness to fight cavities and instill the importance of good oral hygiene through dental check-ups, across the country. This year, a unique "Adopt a School' initiative has been kicked off, where school children as "Little Dentists' will own and spread the message of good oral care habits in community schools. Raveena Tandon - a National Award winning actor from the Indian film industry, who visited one such program, at Sacred Heart High School, Andheri, to extend her support, urged mothers to come forward and play the all important role in the dental care of their children.

During the "Adopt a School' program, 10 students from MKES High School, Malad, played "Little Dentists' and visited over 250 children of Primary School (1st-4th standard) from Sacred Heart High School. The "Little Dentists' spoke to these younger children about their own oral care regime and the importance of good oral habits to prevent cavities. They introduced five important care tips for dental care recommended by Colgate. The "Little Dentists' encouraged the students of Sacred Heart High School to avail of the free cavity check-ups organized at their premise as part of Colgate's national awareness program - "Oral Health Month'. Furthermore, all participating school children pledged to invite their friends and family members to sign up for a free cavity check-up and practice good oral hygiene.

Raveena Tandon graced the occasion and urged mothers to take charge of their children's dental hygiene regime. She guided the children to the Colgate mobile dental van and along with the "Little Dentists', facilitated the free cavity check-ups. Speaking on the occasion, Raveena Tandon said, "Colgate needs to be commended for an initiative of this scale. Given dramatic changes in lifestyle and food, cavities are a growing concern for today's generation. It is important to address cavities and their formation in childhood itself to ensure that they do not increase. All mothers should insist on their children brushing twice a day to maintain a healthy mouth. It is important to start the practice yourself for your children to learn and follow. Mothers have a significant role to play in their children following the right oral care routine."

The "Adopt a School' program is a new initiative in Colgate's 2011 Oral Health Month Program, to increase awareness about the importance of maintaining good oral habits. As part of this ongoing school program, Little Dentists will reach out to children in community primary schools, spreading the message of good oral care hygiene and pledge for "Zero Cavities'.

Announcing the eighth edition of Oral Health Month, Rekha Rao, Vice President Marketing, Colgate India said, "At, Colgate, it is our continuous effort to spread awareness around good oral care. Focused initiatives like the "Adopt a School' during our national oral care awareness program - "Oral Health Month', are an important way to reach children and mothers. With one in every two children in India, suffering from cavities, we are committed to making oral care available to all across the country with a special focus on "Zero Cavities'. This year, in association with IDA we will create oral care awareness in approximately 10,000 schools reaching out to 20 lakh school children across India."

Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Hon. Secretary General, Indian Dental Association said, "We are delighted to partner with Colgate in this national awareness program that has grown phenomenally in the past seven years. In terms of its scale and outreach, "Oral Health Month' is the biggest oral hygiene awareness program held every year in India. This year we are looking at over 25,000 dentists to support and spread basic oral health education and awareness among the masses, especially in the interior rural areas. OHM, this year, aims at "Zero Cavities.'"