Mental Health

Video: Catchy PSA Promotes Oral Hygiene

By Staff Reporter | Update Date: Jul 19, 2012 02:35 PM EDT

A new public service announcement to get children to brush their teeth has gone viral.

The video created by the Oregon Dental Association features children kids dancing around, brushing and flossing, explain the awesomeness of oral hygiene in the minute-long video.

"We wanted to create a fun, interactive tool parents can use to get their kids excited about good dental habits," Oregon Dental Association President-elect Dr. Jill Price, said in a statement. "The mouth is a major health center in the body; unhealthy mouths can lead to diabetes, heart issues, and worse. But rather than lecture parents and expect that lecture to reach their kids, we wanted to create a hub for good facts that families will actually want to check out."

The lyrics are sung to Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie." The video has more than 130,000 hits on YouTube so far. 

Nearly 17 million U.S. children fail to see a dentist every year, according to the Pew Charitable Trust.

Dr. Jonathan D. Shenkin, an American Dental Association spokesperson, called the PSA, "great" and noted one of the biggest challenges dentists face is emphasizing the importance of consistently brushing one's teeth.

"There is nothing better that a person can do for their oral health than brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste," said Shenkin. "This video is great because it's appealing to a younger audience. A lot of people aren't serious about their health overall, which can coincide with their oral health, so this is a great way to motivate people."

So, "Pull out your string and it's time to get your flossy on/Get at the food make your gums grow up nice and strong (yeah)/ ... All my teeth love me because I do the brushy."

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