Jacquelyn Hedrick, YES! Youth Staff According to data collected in 2008 from North Carolina schools, students with poor oral health were three times as likely as those with good oral health to miss school. What this means is that over 3.4 million academic hours were missed due to dental care, and approximately 720,000 of those hours were missed due to pain. Regardless the quality of the school or education, if students aren’t mentally and physically present, they aren’t able to learn. Absences can significantly impact a student’s performance in school; dental decay, dental pain, and other conditions, while completely preventable,

Archie Cook, Jr. DDS, Signature Smiles of Cary, NC As a new dad, I am learning how important it is to be a positive example of healthy habits and hygiene for our daughter. She really does watch and mimic everything we do! Why not give her a set of habits to learn and mimic that will give her a head start on healthy living? At Signature Smiles of Cary, NC, we believe in educating and making each patient aware of the best things that they can do to improve their oral care, which leads to overall healthcare. We spend time

Zulayka Santiago, MPA Director, NC Oral Health Collaborative When I was nine years old I began to see the world for what it is: heartbreaking and beautiful, all at the same time. We had been living in Kenner, LA for three years by then, having moved there from my birthplace, Puerto Rico. My sister and I had just begun to acclimate to the new language, our new school, and the cold weather. My mother was working as a housekeeper and nanny for the Blooms, a family in town that had 5 adopted children, the father was a lawyer, and the