New Colgate Survey Finds Nearly 70 Percent Of Parents Believe A Healthy Smile Can Impact Success In School

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As the new school year kicks off, parents across the country are helping their kids excel in the classroom by caring for their smiles. A majority of parents believe a healthy smile can contribute to academic success – 83 percent recognize that maintaining good oral health can keep a child from missing school, while 43 percent report that a dental related illness has kept their child home from school, according to a recent Colgate survey.¹

For more than 20 years, Colgate has been reaching children in classrooms across the U.S. with free dental screenings and education through its Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program. This year, to better equip families with the resources they need to help their kids achieve a healthy smile, Colgate has partnered with actress, best-selling author, and education advocate Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years"; "Dancing with the Stars") as part of  Smile for Picture Day™ – an annual back-to-school campaign that uses the tradition of school picture day to promote healthy brushing routines.  

"Nothing says 'confidence' like a bright smile - and confidence is a key factor for a successful school year. I'm thrilled to join Colgate's Smile for Picture Day campaign and look forward to helping families by promoting the importance of healthy habits.  We can help kids feel good about themselves by reinforcing the skills they need to take care of their smiles -- for picture day and every day. I appreciate Colgate's commitment to dental health -- especially for their mobile dental van initiative for underprivileged children."

Several 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 days at school than their peers due to dental pain.²  In addition to encouraging proper brushing and regular dental check-ups, parents can improve their kids' dental health by downloading the "Colgate Tooth Defenders" app.  This educational app is available for free via iTunes or Google Play and is specially designed for children in Kindergarten through Grade 3 to help make fighting cavities fun through a series of games.

During Smile for Picture Day™, beginning now through October, Colgate's fleet of mobile dental vans will travel to more than 150 elementary schools providing free dental screenings to children in need.   Additionally, Colgate's award-winning oral health curriculum reaches approximately 3.5 million children in all 50 states throughout the year, and more than 750,000 kids through Colgate's longstanding partnership with the Head Start program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

To celebrate "picture day ready" smiles, parents are encouraged to follow @ColgateSmile on Twitter where they can upload their kids' photo using the hashtag #SmileforPictureDay.

To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, please visit www.ColgateBSBF.com to download more oral health education materials, videos and more.

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-Palmolive sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, Elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate-Palmolive's global business, visit the Company's web site at www.Colgate.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures^®, Colgate's global oral health education program, please visit http://www.colgatebsbf.com. CL-C

ABOUT COLGATE BRIGHT SMILES, BRIGHT FUTURES®
Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® is among the most far-reaching, successful children's oral health initiatives in the world. With long-standing partnerships with governments, schools and communities, Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® has reached more than half a billion children across 80 countries with free dental screenings and oral health education.

REFERENCES
¹ Colgate Back to School Survey among Parents of children 2-12 years old, 2014
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/)

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SOURCE Colgate-Palmolive

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