Resource Highlights: Focus on K–12 Education
These selected resources offer high-quality information about oral health education for children and adolescents in kindergarten through 12th grade. Use the tools below for further searching, or contact us for personalized assistance.
For more information on school health, review our Resource Highlights: Focus on School Health Services and Promoting Oral Health in Schools: A Resource Guide.
Selected Materials in the OHRC Library
American Dental Association. Something to Smile About Resources. Chicago, IL: American Dental Association.
These resources include a curriculum for preschool through 8th grades and materials to introduce students to careers in oral health (dentistry, dental assisting, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology). Additional classroom ideas and resources are also provided.
Delaware Oral Health Coalition. Oral Health Curriculum for Delaware Schools. Dover, DE: Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health. 4 items.
This oral health curricula for schools in Delaware comprise units for kindergarten through 2nd grades, and 3rd through 5th, 6th through 8th, and 9th through 12th grades. Topics including toothbrushing, healthy foods and beverages, tooth decay, mouthguards, oral piercings, tobacco, and methamphetamine that are outlined in Delaware’s health education standards are discussed.
Florida Dental Association. Mouth Wise Dental-Health Education. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Dental Association.
This curriculum is designed to teach students in kindergarten through eighth grades about the benefits of good oral health practices and the role of the dentist (and dental staff) in protecting their overall health and well-being. The lessons address the Sunshine State Standards for Health Education. A video series for students in kindergarten through fifth grades, including A Trip to the Dentist's Office, is also available.
Maryland Children's Oral Health Institute. 2011. Code Red: The Oral Health Crisis in Your Classroom–Empowering the Teacher to Teach Oral Health Education: A Curriculum Resource Reference. Baltimore, MD: Maryland Children's Oral Health Institute. 46 pp.
This handbook encourages teachers to incorporate oral health education into their lesson plans and provides information about curriculum resources for students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Contents include information about read-aloud books, songs and poems, and videos, as well as ideas for science experiments and field trips. Information about oral health programs, careers, and organizations is also included.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Oral Health Program. K–12 Oral Health Education Curriculum. Jefferson City, MO: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Oral Health Program.
This resource comprises oral health presentations for teachers, school nurses, and other health and education professionals to use in conjunction with Missouri's health-education curriculum. Contents include presentations (in English and Spanish) for use with students in kindergarten through 12th grades. A version geared toward Native-American students is also available.
Pyatt J, Spink D, Alves-Dunkerson J, Rakoz L, Thronson G, Williamson G. 2011. Tooth Tutor: A Simplified Oral Health Curriculum for Pre-K to Grade 12 (2nd ed.). Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Health, Oral Health Program and Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 171 pp.
This curriculum for teachers, school nurses, and student instructors in Washington promotes oral health and learning among students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grades. Topics include the importance of oral health; tooth decay; fluoride, dental sealants, and nutrition; toothbrushing and flossing; tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs; injury prevention; and visiting the dental office.
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Medicine. Teacher Enrichment Initiatives (TEI): Curriculum–Oral Health Unit. San Antonio, TX: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Medicine.
This resource is designed to help teachers address oral health within a multidisciplinary health science curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grades. The curriculum was developed by university faculty and staff and K–12 teachers as part of an initiative that also includes teacher professional development programs and student activities and simulations.
See also Curricula on our A–Z list.
Find more materials in the OHRC Library using advanced search.
Suggest materials to OHRC for the library.
Selected Websites
American Dental Association
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adolescent and School Health
Nemours: KidsHealth in the Classroom
- Enter Mouth and Teeth for teacher guides and supporting materials.
Find more organizations in OHRC's Organizations Database.
Resource Highlights: Focus on K–12 Education. March 2013.
Reviewers: Kathy Geurink, Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors; Sally Schoessler, National Association of School Nurses
