Laila Ali Joins Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® in Fight to Improve Children's Oral Health and Give Underserved Students Tools for a Brighter Future

Colgate celebrates 25 years of creating 'Bright Smiles' by honoring program's commitment to helping children build a lifetime of healthy habits during '25 Days of Smiles'

News provided by

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Sep 21, 2016, 01:30 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For 25 years, the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^® (BSBF) global oral health program has reached children in underserved communities with free dental screenings, oral health education and toothpaste and toothbrushes. Colgate is marking this special milestone by kicking off '25 Days of Smiles', a multifaceted celebration with Hall of Fame professional athlete and television personality Laila Ali. Together, Colgate and Ali will address two common learning barriers for school children: poor oral health and lack of school supplies.

2016 marks the 25th anniversary of Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, Colgate’s flagship oral health education program.

Infographic: Children with Early Cavities

Infographic: Impact of Tooth Decay on Development

Infographic: Impact of Tooth Decay on Academic Performance

Infographic: Creating Bright Smiles with Good Habits

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7910951-laila-ali-joins-colgate-bright-smiles-bright-futures

"As a mother of two, nothing makes me happier than to see my children smile. Because a child's bright smile can reflect so much – from their developing personalities and self-esteem, to the promise of a healthy, successful school year," said Laila Ali. "I am excited to partner with Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures to encourage families to establish healthy habits at home – like brushing for two minutes, twice a day and getting regular dental check-ups and at school by giving them the tools they need to learn and succeed."

Tooth decay, while highly preventable, remains the most common chronic childhood disease, affecting millions of children around the world who lack access to basic dental care¹. Studies have demonstrated a connection between poor dental health and low grade point averages and in some cases, children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss school than their peers, due to dental pain². The impact is particularly devastating for U.S. children from low-income, minority and rural communities who suffer disproportionately from dental health issues³.

'25 Days of Smiles'
As part of '25 Days of Smiles', Colgate has donated 500,000 oral care products to the Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), a 501(3)(c) charitable organization that prepares children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need. In addition, BSBF will host oral health community celebration events in Miami, Houston and Baltimore.

Throughout the '25 Days of Smiles' there are opportunities for everyone to play an important role in promoting children's oral health. Join Colgate in promoting oral health and giving students the tools they need to succeed this school year, by:

Tweeting a #TBT school picture with the hashtag #SmileforPictureDay: Starting tomorrow, Thursday, September 22, follow @ColgateBSBF on Twitter and share your #TBT school picture using #SmileforPictureDay to help drive awareness to the importance of children's oral health during a time when smiles are organically top of mind. For every photo shared between September 22 and October 31, Colgate will donate $1 to KINF⁵.
Purchasing Colgate Kids products at Walgreens: For every Colgate^® Kids oral care product purchased at a participating Walgreens between August 28 and October 1, Colgate will donate $1 to the Kids In Need Foundation⁴.

Every year in the U.S., Colgate reaches nearly 9 out of every 10 kindergarten students and 3.5 million children in all 50 states with BSBF's award-winning oral health curriculum. In addition, Colgate operates a fleet of BSBF mobile dental vans that visit 1,000 cities a year, providing oral health education, free dental screenings and treatment referrals to millions of children.

"Educating children about proper oral hygiene habits and helping underserved communities is at the heart of the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program," said Marsha Butler DMD, Vice President of Global Oral Health for Colgate and global leader of Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures. "Over the past 25 years BSBF has grown from reaching 25,000 children in the U.S. to more than 850 million in 80 countries. We are proud to celebrate this milestone with Laila Ali as we work together to give all children the 'Power of a Bright Smile.'"

Follow @ColgateBSBF on Twitter to learn more about the BSBF community celebration events, get new and #throwback BSBF facts and photos, and oral health tips.

Parents, educators and dental professionals can visit the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^®website at www.ColgateBSBF.com to access free learning materials, mobile apps, videos and more. To find out more about the work The Kids In Need Foundation is doing nationally, visit www.kinf.org.

ABOUT COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Speed Stick, Lady Speed Stick, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet and Hill's Ideal Balance. For more information about Colgate's global business, visit the Company's web site at http://www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® oral health education program, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com.

ABOUT THE KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION
The Kids In Need Foundation's mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed more than $700 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 4.2 million students and more than 120,000 teachers annually. Kids In Need is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995. For more information, visit kinf.org, and join them at twitter.com/kidsinneed & facebook.com/kidsinneed.

¹ World Health Organization. Oral Health Fact Sheet. April 2012. (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs318/en/)
² Jackson, Vann, Kotch, Pahel, Lee. Impact of Poor Oral Health on Children's School Attendance and Performance. Am J Public Health 2011; 101(10): 1900-1906. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222359/)
³ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health. Disparities in Oral Health. (http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/oral_health_disparities/index.htm)
⁴ Between August 28 and October 1, 2016, for every Colgate Kids product purchased at Walgreens, Colgate will donate $1 to the Kids In Need Foundation, for a minimum donation of $10,000 and a maximum donation of $25,000.
⁵ For every photo shared on Twitter between September 22 through October 31 using the hashtag #SmileforPictureDay, Colgate will donate $1.00 to KINF, for a minimum donation of $15, 000 and a maximum donation of $25,000.