Tennant Creeks famous Cheeky Dog has joined the fightagainst tooth decay in Territory children.
Created by Tennant Creek artist Dion Beasley, Cheeky Dog andhis mischievous friends are well-recognised characters whose exploits appear inbooks and on merchandise.
Through a partnership with the NT Governments Oral HealthServices Central Australia (OHSCA), the much-loved characters are now usingtheir fame to encourage children to take care of their teeth.
The OHSCA Cheeky Dog campaign was launched today at SadadeenPrimary School in Alice Springs. Its main messages are: Brush Well, Eat Well,Drink Well, Play Well and Stay Well.
The colourful campaign promotes good oral health care from aholistic perspective while engaging children with the antics of Cheeky Dog.
It has been developed in consultation with the communitiesof Canteen Creek, Docker River, Nyirripi and Laramba, to ensure it isculturally appropriate and as effective as possible.
As stated by Ministerfor Health, Natasha Fyles:
The Territory Labor Government promotes good oral healthcare by providing free public dental care for children up to the age of 18, andthrough the Healthy Smiles program in remote communities, which saw 5000children receive 5600 protective fluoride varnishes in 2017.
But good dental health begins at home, so we have recruitedthe loveable Cheeky Dog to help children and families understand simple waysthey can get a head start on good oral health.
Good oral health often equates to good overall health, sothe main message of the Cheeky Dog campaign – that Mouths Matter is importantfor much more than our childrens teeth.
Research showsTerritory children experience higher rates of tooth decay than those in otherjurisdictions, and this campaign is one way we are working to change that.
