Museum launches Spanish version of its educational Web site

BALTIMORE, Maryland--The National Museum of Dentistry will launch a new Spanish version of its educational MouthPower Web site in May.

Targeted to elementary-school age children, this interactive and educational online program teaches young people about the power of a healthy smile. Mouthie the chatterteeth guide leads visitors through his whimsical laboratory to teach valuable lessons about brushing and flossing, healthy eating, tobacco use prevention, tooth anatomy, and dental history.

Created by the National Museum of Dentistry in partnership with the American Dental Association, MouthPower online has enjoyed significant success since its original launch in 2004. Girl Scout troops, educators, parents, and dental practitioners in the U.S. and around the world are using the program to reinforce oral health messages.

In 2006, www.MouthPower.org received 70,000 unique visitors and more than four million hits.

The California Dental Association Foundation--the philanthropic affiliate of the California Dental Association--awarded a grant to the National Museum of Dentistry to create a Spanish version of www.MouthPower.org. Visitors to the web site will now have the option of exploring Mouthie's laboratory in English or Spanish.

"The National Museum of Dentistry's mission is to educate the public about oral health in a healthy life, and translating MouthPower into Spanish significantly increases the reach of this vital and engaging program," said Rosemary Fetter, executive director of the National Museum of Dentistry. "We are grateful to the California Dental Association Foundation for their generous gift to translate www.MouthPower.org into Spanish."

"We are pleased to partner with the National Museum of Dentistry on this important program to extend the cultural and linguistic opportunities to educate children and families on the importance of oral health," said Jon Roth, executive director of the California Dental Association Foundation. The CDA aims to improve the oral health of Californians by supporting the dental health profession and its efforts to increase access to care for the state's most vulnerable people.

"Expanding our reach with preventive oral health messages is important to the CDA Foundation," added Bruce Toy, DDS, Chair of the CDA Foundation Board of Directors. "We're glad to have the opportunity to partner with an established program like MouthPower to extend our reach."

"We are excited that the important oral health messages found in MouthPower will now be able to reach into the Hispanic community," said Hispanic Dental Association Board President Ernest L. Garcia Jr., DDS. "This is an excellent program that will have a tremendous impact on the oral health of Hispanics with its translation into Spanish."

MouthPower--the signature oral health education program of the National Museum of Dentistry--motivates young people to discover the power of a healthy smile.

Offered online as an interactive Web program, on site as a hands-on exhibition, and across the country in a new traveling exhibition, MouthPower engages elementary-school age children to learn about brushing and flossing, the parts of a tooth, healthy food choices, the dangers of tobacco use, and the evolution of oral health care.

For more information, visit National Museum of Dentistry.