Evaluating the Social Impact and Effectiveness of Four-Year "Love Teeth Day" Campaign in China

Abstract

A massive campaign on "Love Teeth Day" (LTD) has been celebrated nationwide each year in China since 1989. As announced in an official document, nine government and non-government organizations have jointly issued a circular designating that the 20th of September of each year be kept for the Love Teeth Festival in this country. The main activities were planned and conducted by the National Committee for Oral Health, which was set up in 1988. It aims to motivate the people's awareness of dental self-care, participation, and to promote community involvement in oral health education programs. For feedback, two types of questionnaires were designed and sent to the public and the organizers, respectively, after each campaign, and then returned to the office for data processing. The findings from a four-year study indicated that: (1) The activities started from three municipalities, 29 capitals of provinces, and some large cities (1989), and spread to most cities in the urban area, and about 300 counties in the rural area (1992); (2) 14,000 dental professionals and health workers participated in 1989 as information providers, and increased to 40,000 in 1992; (3) oral health knowledge has increased to 76.2% (1992) from 37% (1989); and (4) the people's will in dental prevention was strengthened.

The Routine Utilization of Dental Care during Pregnancy in Eastern China and the Key Underlying Factors: A Hangzhou City Study

“…Although the Chinese government has organized various public activities such as “Love Teeth Day” [9], China still has very few programs for promoting RUDC in pregnant women. To develop appropriate programs and policies, it is therefore of paramount importance to obtain the precise characteristics of the target population.…”

Changing use and knowledge of fluoride toothpaste by schoolchildren, parents and schoolteachers in Beijing, China

“…Thirdly, the implementation of oral health education programmes has increased over time in China. In urban areas this is due particularly to the launch in 1989 of the annual 'Love Teeth Day' campaign 20,21 . The greater use of fluoride toothpaste and the fact that significant proportions of schoolchildren, parents, and schoolteachers reported having gained information about fluoride from oral health education programmes may reflect a positive impact of these programmes.…”

“…Chinese society has changed rapidly during the past decade and fluoride toothpastes are now more commonly available on the market, especially in urban areas. In addition, oral health education programmes, such as the 'Love Teeth Day' mass campaign 20,21 , have been implemented at province and community levels throughout the country since 1989, and the regular use of fluoride toothpaste is highly recommended by these programmes. However, no recent data are available which could elucidate the changing use of fluoride toothpaste in children and adolescents.…”

Effect of a school-based oral health education programme in Wuhan City, Peoples Republic of China

“…At the global level, prevalence rates and patterns of oral disease have changed considerably over the past two decades. In most industrialised countries, the prevalence proportion rates of dental caries and the mean dental caries experience in children have declined 14 . Such changes are often ascribed to changing living conditions and lifestyles, effective use of oral health services, implementation of schoolbased oral health care programmes, adoption of regular self-care practices and use of fluoride toothpaste 57 .…”

“…The Chinese health authorities have emphasised preventive oral care and oral health education since the late 1980s. The nationwide mass campaign Love Teeth Day has been conducted annually since 1989 to support the implementation of community-based oral health education, with positive changes found at the population level 14,15 . Oral health education in relation to schoolchildren is given high priority.…”