Something to smile about: Delta Dental launches kids' oral health web site

March 27, 2003

Highlighting the importance of learning good dental health habits early, Delta Dental Plan of California announced today the launch of a new children's web site filled with fun and easy activities that teach how to preserve healthy smiles.

SmileKids, located at http://smilekids.deltadentalca.org, contains games, stories and health tips created for all children and pre-teens. The site, designed and maintained by Delta Dental's in-house web services and design staff, offers health education materials that schoolteachers can incorporate into lesson plans. Plans call for the site to become increasingly interactive over time.

Delta's president and chief executive officer, Gary D. Radine, said the organization will promote SmileKids for use by the millions of young enrollees with Delta coverage, but that the site is also offered as a free service to children anywhere in the nation.

"Our goal is to help advance dental health, so we are harnessing the power of the Internet and our own expertise in this area to help kids, their parents and their teachers nurture good dental habits," said Radine.

Fun features on SmileKids include writing tips and story ideas relating to dental care experiences. Younger children can download numerous coloring pages and puzzles, as well as get familiar with a special cartoon family and online pets created to lightheartedly explain dental terms and situations.

SmileKids is a collaborative effort of the enterprise formed by the Delta Plans of California, Pennsylvania, Delta Dental Insurance Company and their affiliates. Together, the enterprise represents one of the largest dental benefits systems in the country, with nearly 20 million members.

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