Historical Society Celebrates Dental Health Month

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Feb. 7, 2016 - PRLog -- This month is the 75th anniversary of National Children’s Dental Health Month, and a new display at the Council Bluffs Public Library looks at the past as well as the present.
    The purpose of dental health month is to spread awareness and information about the benefits of good oral health to children and their caregivers.  This year’s “Sugar Wars” campaign theme depicts heroic cartoon children in a spaceship swatting “Sweet Tooth Invaders” with tooth brushes.
    In addition to the good care message the exhibit includes a history of the tooth fairy and some facts unique to Council Bluffs and the Midwest, such as the two streets in Council Bluffs named after dentists, the town’s first dentist, and the little known story about Walt Disney’s career being given a needed boost by a Kansas City dentist.  Archives provided by the Historical Society include vintage dental tools and a Mars candy bar wrapper.  The latter was evidence at a local crime scene; a dentist was able to make stone models of the tooth prints in the candy bar which were used to convict the criminal.
    The exhibit is a cooperative effort of Sue Norman (Dental Assisting Program Chair at Iowa Western Community College), Karen DeForest (office manager at Warner Family Dentistry and Historical Society volunteer), and Marlys Lien (Adult Programming Librarian at the CB library).  The exhibit will be on the main floor of the library throughout the month of February.