McWhorter Elementary School first-graders were ecstatic Wednesday, Feb. 27, when a dragon visited their classroom.
Bristles the dragon puppet brought with him dental hygiene kits and area Masons representing the Masonic Home and School of Texas to promote better health during Dental Hygiene Month.
“Dental disease being the largest cause of absenteeism in elementary schools, Masons have decided to try to look at this issue and help get that done,” event organizer Coke Etgen said.
The Masonic Home and School of Texas will donate more than 3,600 kits to first-graders in West Texas this month, including those in 20 other schools in the Lubbock Independent School District.
The kits provided the students with a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and a two-minute timer for the kids to use as well as information in English and Spanish about dental hygiene and a chart for the students to record their daily brushing.
According to information provided by the Masonic Home and School of Texas, tooth decay is five times more common in children than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
“Socioeconomically disadvantaged children are affected by this epidemic more frequently than other children, with nearly 12 times more restricted-activity days due to dental issues than children from higher-income families,” a news release states.
Etgen said he started coordinating the February giveaways by visiting Masonic lodges in the area.
“This is a program that’s paying huge dividends hopefully in the future,” Etgen said. “We’ll have healthy kids and better educated kids.”
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