Tips for Parents to Support Children's Oral Health [English/Spanish]

Explore a selection of our favorite resources from trusted organizations.

Smile, California 

• Smile California is California’s Medi-Cal Dental Program, and offers dental services exclusively to Kaiser members in San Mateo County. The educational materials provided below are meant to support healthy oral care habits. Click here to explore their full library of educational materials, available in multiple languages. 
• For details about  specific dental coverages and access to care in San Mateo County, please click here.

National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center

• Open Wide is a series of 4 self-paced modules designed to help professionals working in programs (e.g., Head Start, home visiting, WIC) promote oral health in the course of promoting general health for children from birth to age 6 and their families. After completing the modules, you can register for free to take the post-tests to receive a certificate of completion.

  • Module 1: Tooth Decay
  • Module 2: Risk Factors for Tooth Decay
  • Module 3: Prevention of Tooth Decay
  • Module 4: Promoting Oral Health
• Brush Up On Oral Health contains a series of tip sheets to support the oral health of children and pregnant people enrolled in Head Start programs and their families.  
• To explore materials in Spanish, click here.
  • Using Pacifiers Safely  (English)
  • Easing Baby’s Teething Pain  (English)
  • Why Baby Teeth Are Important (English)
• Bright Futures Oral Health Pocket Guide  provides health professionals (including dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, and others) with an overview of preventive oral health supervision and includes information about risk assessment, a tooth eruption chart, a dietary fluoride supplementation schedule, a glossary, and a list of resources.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

• AAP prepared Provider Toolkits for both patient outreach and education around oral health as well as clinical resources to help integrate oral health into your practice. Materials are available in multiple languages. 
• Brush, Book, Bed is a program of AAP, and recommends a simple, yet effective ritual at the end of the day for children:
  1. ​ Each night, help your children to brush their teeth.
  2.  Read a favorite book (or two)! Click here for books about oral health in English and Spanish.
  3. Get to bed at a regular time each night.
• To integrate Brush, Book, Bed messaging into your practice, explore downloadable resources available here in multiple languages. 
  • [Brush, Book, Bed] Simple Routine Flyer

American Dental Association

• Tiny Smiles, a Give Kids A Smile Program, focuses on educating and increasing dentists’ confidence to see babies and young children.

  • Download patient resources and family activities to help prevent tooth decay in baby teeth: Dental Professional Packet (English)
  • Get talking points and patient resources about the connection between oral health and overall health: Medical Professional Packet (English)
  • Download patient resources and family activities to help prevent tooth decay in baby teeth: Educators Packet (English)