February has been designated “Gum Disease Awareness Month” in a national and global effort to raise public awareness of gum disease. The awareness program was launched in 2012 by the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry, a non-profit educational and research center dedicated to providing evidence-based clinical training in advanced laser dentistry therapies.

Our goal is to continually raise awareness of the prevalence of gum disease and consequences of untreated disease, while encouraging patients to take an active role in better oral health through prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Get Involved

We need your help to raise public awareness of a disease that affects so many Americans and bust myths about the dangers of the disease, its symptoms and treatment options.

1. Join us on social media. An easy way to get involved and support Gum Disease Awareness Month is through its dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages. Join the community to get the latest updates and information on gum disease, share posts, or repost on your social media accounts to help spread the word. The official hashtags for Gum Disease Awareness Month are: #FightGumDisease #GumDiseaseAwareness and #GDA2023
www.facebook.com/fightgumdisease
http://www.twitter.com/fightgumdisease
2. Link to the official website, www.fightgumdisease.com
     a. Download the official Fight Gum Disease ribbon and place on your website. Use the ribbon as a hyperlink to www.fightgumdisease.com
3. Blog about the prevalence, systemic connections or treatment options on your website
4. Post a banner ad about Gum Disease Awareness month on your website
1. Share information about Gum Disease, including causes, systematic connections and treatment options with your patients.
2. Offer free gum disease screenings for new patients.
3. Share Gum Disease Awareness information with your patients, on your website, etc.
     a. Link to the infographics here (samples included)
     b. Or use the infographics in electronic patient newsletters.
4. Support awareness efforts by having each staff member wear a Fight Gum Disease pin during February – or year round!
5. Provide each patient who has completed a gum disease screening a Fight Gum Disease pin.
6. Add a mention to your hold music loop. Previously recorded public service announcements are available on the website.
7. Send out a press release about your office.
8. Download your state’s proclamation and frame in your office.
Proclamations aren’t limited to state or national levels! Work with local media and your government leaders to support the Gum Disease Awareness Month initiative by securing city level proclamations.
     a. Have the mayor present the proclamation to your office in a ceremony during February. Contact your elected official’s press secretary to schedule an event and invite your local newspapers to write an article about the event, or send out a press release.
     b. Frame and hang these proclamations in your front office.

Resources

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