CAPTAIN SUPERTOOTH SWOOPS DOWN ON MIDDLESEX COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

- Delta Dental of New Jersey's caped crusader for oral health care teaches young students the basics: brushing plus flossing equals good health -

PARSIPPANY, NJ (February 12, 2010)

In celebration of Children’s Dental Health Month, Delta Dental of New Jersey is making sure young children get the message about the importance of oral health care.

No boring talks and flip charts here, however. Instead New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company has sent their official spokes hero, Captain Supertooth, to visit local Middlesex County elementary schools armed with a super-sized red toothbrush - his own personal weapon against plaque and tooth decay. While visiting assemblies of K-2 students, Captain Supertooth has championed good brushing and flossing techniques by using some innovative techniques of his own.

“Our younger students aren’t always a part of the assemblies we have at school, so 
Captain Supertooth’s visit was a big deal for them,” said Heather Balog, school nurse at Avenel Street School, in the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township. “His larger-than-life presence helps the children listen. They respond much better when they can experience something themselves, rather than just reading about it. We were on a two year waiting list for the Captain, so we were thrilled that he finally visited our school and taught us about good oral hygiene.”

The good Captain captivated his young audiences by arriving in costume and cape. He then asked the students to participate by playing the role of sample teeth as he conveyed the message that maintaining proper daily dental care is important to their oral and overall health. The lessons the students learned from Captain Supertooth can last a lifetime.

“Captain Supertooth’s mission is to assist parents and teachers with oral health education, but in a way that’s appealing to five to seven-year-old children,” says Diane Belle, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Delta Dental of New Jersey. “Many people don’t realize it, but tooth decay, or dental caries, remains the single most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S.”

This year, the caped crusader had an extra reason to celebrate with students: his 20th birthday. That means Captain Supertooth has visited more than 30,000 students at schools, assemblies and events since he and his giant red toothbrush first hit the grade school scene in 1990. Captain Supertooth has brushed his own teeth 14,600 times since then, and that’s not counting brushing after between-meal snacks.

In popular demand, Captain Supertooth appearances are booked in advance by contacting Jennifer Appaluccio at jappaluccio@deltadentalnj.com. Since requests generally outpace the Captain’s availability, Delta Dental of New Jersey also has a free Captain Supertooth instructional DVD formatted video that can be ordered in English or Spanish.

In addition to the instructional DVD, Delta Dental of New Jersey also expanded its educational outreach for Children’s Dental Health Month to include free oral health interactive flashcard CDs, developed for teachers to use with first grade students.

For more information on ordering the instructional DVD formatted video or the interactive flash cards, visit the Kid’s Club section of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Web site www.deltadentalnj.com or contact Jennifer Appaluccio at jappaluccio@deltadentalnj.com.

“I love sharing what I know about taking care of teeth with kids, “ says Captain Supertooth. “I want children everywhere to have super teeth like me.”

About Delta Dental
Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. is New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and has the largest network of dentists in the nation. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnj.com.