The winner has been awarded their prize of an electric toothbrush during a visit to the RAF Red Arrows.
The poster competition was run by Community Dental Services CIC in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council’s Public Health team. Lincolnshire based children were asked to design a poster to help raise awareness of the importance of developing good oral health from a young age, with the winning design being used on educational resources throughout the county.
Sofia Terry, age 7, the proud winner was praised for her bold, eye-catching picture with a strong message, and celebrated with a trip to see the iconic Red Arrows at their base at RAF Waddington on Thursday 6th July. Here she was awarded her prize of an electric toothbrush by CDS and local authority teams before meeting the pilots, getting a tour of the aircraft and watching a practice display.
Sofia was thrilled and said “I got to experience being with the Red Arrows and it made me feel happy and special. I'm pleased I entered the competition, thank you for picking me as the winner.”
Jennifer Baitup is the Oral Health Improvement Manager for CDS Lincolnshire who promote the importance of good oral health and supervised toothbrushing programmes within early year’s settings and schools, as well as promoting good oral health in children and adults with special needs and in care settings: “With increasing numbers of children experiencing dental decay by the age of 5, National Smile Month 2023 shone a light on the importance of brushing our teeth. We asked children to design a poster – perhaps about brushing teeth (why we need to brush / how we should brush) or about tooth friendly foods and drinks. We received a huge number of amazing designs and are thrilled that the winner was chosen by the RAF Red Arrows. Sofia’s poster “Brush your teeth, love your smile” has a strong message and an eye-catching picture, and we are delighted to be using her design on our future educational resources.”
Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children’s services at Lincolnshire County Council, added: “Good oral health is particularly important for children and young people, and the poster competition was an ideal opportunity to remind them of the benefits of regular brushing. Aside from our poster competition, there’s lots of ways to get involved and inspire your youngsters to take good care of their teeth, keeping a healthy smile on their face.”
Lincolnshire based children aged 5 – 11 years were asked to design a poster, with the winning design being used on educational posters and resources throughout the county, to help raise awareness of the importance of developing good oral health habits from a young age. The poster competition ran between 15th May to 15th June and supported The Oral Health Foundation’s National Smile Month.
Wing Commander Adam Collins, Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, said: “It was wonderful to meet Sofia and her family at RAF Waddington and help highlight this important oral health message.”
Sofia presents the Red Arrows with her handmade aircraft: