“Rethink Your Drink” sounds so catchy. I know it means choose water instead of sugary drinks, but I wonder if the children in my neighborhood know what it means. Do they know that we are trying to educate them to be more aware about the sugar in the drinks they are consuming? As a pediatric dentist, my strongest passion is educating parents and children on the importance of consuming tap water that contains fluoride which prevents dental decay. When parents become skeptical about using fluoridated toothpaste, drinking fluoridated tap water, and applying fluoride varnish, I explain to them that research studies show that fluoride helps reduce cavities by at least 25%.1 2 Most of the time, I manage to win them over. That’s because these children and parents are already in my office and they trust me. However, educating and persuading an entire community like North Hollywood – a suburb in North Los Angeles County with many high-risk children suffering from dental disease—to change their sugary drink habits may not be so easy. Creating sustainable change in this high dental-risk population requires ongoing motivation and constant reminders. The “Rethink Your Drink” campaign provides a valuable opportunity for me to educate and encourage children in my community about the benefits of drinking tap water. Even if it means an uphill battle, it’s worth it!
With guidance from my local health department and CalFresh Healthy Living liaison, I began my outreach by connecting with children at local schools, where they gather and learn every day. I decided to send...