Smile Spokane celebrates Women’s History Month & World Oral Health Day in this month’s Word of Mouth - This year, Smile Spokane wants to inspire change by focusing on the importance of oral health at every stage of life because no matter what age you are, caring for your mouth and looking after your oral health is important.

Learn about African American trailblazer in oral health, Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, and the Spokane Regional Health District’s ABCD program in this issue of Word of Mouth.

Build Healthy Habits in the New Year! Many start the new year with resolutions or other commitments to health. Why not focus on your smile while you're at it?! Read this month’s Word of Mouth to learn a few healthy habits to start the new year strong.

Cultures worldwide celebrate December holidays by featuring delightful treats of fruits, nuts, and sweets. In this month’s Word of Mouth, we share a few traditional Winter Holiday Foods from different countries.

On behalf of the Smile LIN Network team, thank you for your continued focus on oral health and for working with us to reduce the disparities in care and health outcomes for so many neighbors in our community.

According to 2013 data collected by Coupon Follow, the average child will eat about 3 cups of sugar on Halloween! Find out the best options for treats in this month’s Word of Mouth.

Children around Spokane County are returning to classrooms for a new school year. In addition to reading, math, and science, kids can learn about good oral health and receive oral health screenings, sealants (a thin protective coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth), and fluoride applications through a program called Toothsavers. Learn more in this month’s newsletter.

In honor of National Health Center Week, we celebrate our partner, CHAS Health. In this month’s blog, Dr. Marcus Baca, a primary care pediatrician and director of pediatric health at CHAS Health, explains why oral health is vital to overall health. Learn more, check out the August newsletter.

July is Time for Water Fun!

Here are some fun facts about water:

• Water covers 80% of the earth.

• Only 2.5% is drinkable freshwater.

• Fluoride occurs naturally in all water.

• 75% of the human brain is water, and 75% of a living tree is water.

Smile Spokane Celebrates Pride Month in June! Affirming care, including oral health care, is essential to everyone. Still, not everyone receives care that honors the identities that they hold or individual needs because of lack of understanding, inequitable systems, and even bias. This is especially true for transgender individuals. Individuals identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ can find affirming healthcare providers using this database of LGBTQIA2S+ affirming health providers created by Spectrum.

Mental Health Challenges Don’t Have to Stop Oral Health Care. As we acknowledge this National Mental Health Awareness month has been especially challenging to many people's mental health, we’re shining a light on Smile Spokane’s Care Linkages Strategy and our impactful partnership with Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH).

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! In our healthcare system, the mouth and brain are often treated as separate from the rest of our bodies. But oral health and mental health are linked in critical ways. Poor oral health can impact eating, speech, social interactions, and the psychological well-being of both children and adults.