The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Oral Health Office announced on Jan. 7 that one Lowndes County third grader was the winner of the eighth annual smile photo contest for students in Alabama.

Channing Rose Coghlan, a Lowndes County native who attends Fort Dale Academy in Butler County, and Trivedh Neel Thoat, a Pike Road Elementary School student from Montgomery County have been chosen from photo submissions as the overall winners of the “Share Your Smile with Alabama” campaign for 2025. The two will be spotlighted in marketing campaigns to promote children’s oral health in the state, especially during February, National Children’s Dental Health Month.

State Dental Health Director Dr. Tommy Johnson said, “We sponsor this annual contest to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers, and others. Developing good oral health habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children begin a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.”

Posters developed by the American Dental Association for National Children’s Dental Health Month 2025 are captioned, “I brush my teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste to keep my smile strong.” In addition to brushing and flossing, ADPH encourages community water fluoridation and promotes the FDA-approved HPV vaccine for children beginning at nine years of age.

Good oral health is especially important for children. Cavities (also known as caries or tooth decay) are among the most common chronic conditions of children in the United States. Untreated dental cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing and learning. Children who have poor oral health often miss more school and receive lower grades than their fellow students.

The ADPH Oral Health Office is dedicated to preventing dental disease for Alabama’s citizens by promoting and developing quality, cost-effective community and school-based preventive, educational and early treatment programs which emphasize the elimination of oral health disparities.

For more oral health information, go to https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/oralhealth/index.html.

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