First graders at local elementary schools were recently given free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club by members of Mineola Masonic Lodge, led by Kenneth Johnson. The Masons assembled and delivered more than 180 dental hygiene kits to first graders at Mineola Primary School and Alba-Golden Elementary.

The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club, sponsored by Masonic Home and School of Texas, strives to prevent suffering from toothaches, reduce missed school days due to dental problems and cut costs for dental treatment.

The kits contain a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-minute timer, an educational pamphlet for parents in both Spanish and English and a summary of MHS services. Last year, Texas Masonic lodges partnered with MHS to distribute 125,738 Fantastic Teeth Fan Club dental kits and information to first graders in 1,447 schools across the state.

According to Oral Health In America: A Report of the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Children in low-income families are affected by this epidemic more frequently than other children, with nearly 12 times more restricted-activity days due to dental issues than children from higher-income families. With more than 1.5 million Texas children living in poverty, there is a great need for preventive dental care.

Dental problems also directly affect success for children, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year to dental-related illness. Teachers have judged both classroom performance and classroom behavior to be significantly poorer among children in need of dental care. Pain and suffering due to untreated dental disease can also lead to problems in eating and speaking.

For more information call 1-877-203-9111, send an email to info@mhstx.org or visit mhstx.org.