• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 15, 2012

Less than half (44%) of American parents say their kids brush their teeth twice a day or more, according to a new survey released by the Ad Council. That’s a problem because, as many adults know, poor dental hygiene habits in youth can translate into needless misery later.

With that in mind, the Ad Council has joined forces with dental health organizations, ad agencies and children’s media for a new public service campaign highlighting the importance of dental health.
 
The new campaign, called “Kids’ Healthy Mouths,” is the result of a partnership between the Ad Council and The Partnership for Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives, a coalition of almost 40 organizations devoted to dental health.

Creative services were provided by the Grey Group and Wing, in collaboration with Sesame Street, DreamWorks Animation, the Cartoon Network and MyKazoo!

The ads will be distributed to more than 33,000 media outlets nationwide, including TV, radio, print, outdoor and online, and will run entirely in donated advertising inventory.
 
The PSAs, in both English and Spanish, are aimed at parents and caregivers, and especially those from low-income families which have less access to health information in general. In addition to encouraging parents to have their children brush their teeth for two minutes twice a day, the PSAs point out that some of the time children devote to silly, frivolous activities might be better spent keeping their teeth in good shape for adulthood.

The PSAs also encourage parents to visit a dedicated Web site, 2min2x.org, to learn more about dental hygiene.
 
Most of the ads are clearly designed to appeal to children, as well as parents. One ad features Elmo of "Sesame Street’" singing about the importance of brushing your teeth every day (with versions in English and Spanish). Another features Tooth, the tooth fairy from DreamWorks’ upcoming animated film "Rise of the Guardians." MyKaZootv donated music videos that children can watch while brushing their teeth.