KINDERGARTENS across Loddon will be reaching new “smilestones” next week.
National Dental Week starting on Monday will highlight the importance of building life-long oral health habits encouraging people to care for teeth and gums.
Boort, Inglewood, Wedderburn, Dingee, Pyramid Hill, Cohuna, Kerang, Koondrook and Leitchville kindergartens are helping spread the oral health messages through the Smiles 4 Miles program.
Northern District Community Health is taking the Smiles 4 Miles initiative of Oral Health Victoria to the kindergartens.
The innovative program promotes healthy eating, drinking, daily toothbrushing, and regular dental visits to improve the oral health of young children and their families.
During Dental Health Week, NDCH staff will be visiting local kindergartens with a special guest — Chomper the Dragon.
 Chomper teaches children about the three key messages for good oral health: Drink Well, Eat Well, and Clean Well.
NDCH’s joint Acting CEOs, Deanne Radcliffe and Mansoor Hussain, say this year’s activities are a terrific way to bring smiles to young faces while promoting lifelong healthy habits. 
“Sometimes life gets very busy, but Dental Health Week is a great reminder that looking after our oral health is essential to our overall health and wellbeing — and that good habits need to start early in life,” said Deanne.
“We’ve added something new this year with a StoryWalk set up in Cohuna, featuring the book Going to the Dentist by Anne Civardi. It’s a fun and engaging way for families to learn about oral health while enjoying time together outdoors. Stories about visiting the dentist, combined with physical activity, help children remember the importance of looking after their teeth.”
NDCH will also be handing out free oral health packs to kindergartens, full of fun and practical
resources for children and families. 
“We want to make it easy and fun for families to talk about oral health — and Chomper certainly helps us do that!” said Mansoor.
Boort District Health is supporting the Smiles 4 Miles program and provides dental care to region. 
Every week is Oral Health week. BHD treat a wide variety of the community dental patients from toddlers to aged care residents. 
Private and public care is provided and ‘Smile Squad’ for school students being provided in house. 
All children aged 0-18 receive free care at Boort District Health Dental to ensure they all receive the required dental care and check-ups on an annual basis.