ALTON/GODFREY - Students at North Elementary received a visit from the Land of Smiles to learn about dental health.
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On Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation presented the Land of Smiles show to second and third graders at North Elementary School. With the help of characters like Captain Super Grin, Terri Tooth Fairy, Toothpick and Caz Cavity, students learned the importance of brushing and flossing their teeth.
“Theater as a teaching tool is something we think should be used as much as possible,” said Hadley Evansnash, one of the performers. “I think it’s a cool thing that Delta Dental does, taking the time and the money to make sure that this information is not just getting to kids, but getting to kids in a way that’s going to stick with them.”
Evansnash and Kevin Brown, who plays Captain Super Grin, work with the National Theater for Children out of Minnesota. They have been traveling throughout Illinois for the past five weeks, presenting the Land of Smiles show at different schools.
“It feels like important work,” Brown said. “You’d be surprised how many people haven’t heard the information. We might take it for granted, the dental education, but sometimes people haven’t heard to brush and floss twice a day, or they haven’t heard about cavities or the anatomy of a tooth. So it feels like we’re teaching some important stuff.”
The two performers noted that students take a pre-assessment and post-assessment after the show, and it’s “really cool” to see how much they retain. Each student also received a free “Smile Bag,” complete with a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and bilingual oral health tips.
Evansnash added that 22% of Illinois third graders have untreated tooth decay, a “scary statistic” that Delta Dental hopes to decrease with education like the Land of Smiles show. Evansnash and Brown noted their excitement to continue their tour through Illinois with another performance in Troy on Friday afternoon.
“I think that this way of teaching is a lot more engaging and interesting than reading it out of a textbook,” Brown added. “We all love going into the schools.”
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