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26
New Mexico Dental Journal, Spring 2016
OOH
#ShareFive
Health Promotion Campaign
By Rudy Blea—OOH Program Director
T
he Department of Health’s mission is to reduce the
incidence of disease through prevention. Currently
New Mexico ranks 37th in health status in the
United States. It is estimated that $6,650 is spent on average
for annual medical care in New Mexico. This amount has
doubled in the past 10 years. The Department has identified
7 preventable conditions in New Mexico: high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, asthma, lung cancer, and
tobacco use. Public health works to improve the health of the
entire population through partnerships, assessment, assurance
and policy development. In its State Health Improvement Plan
nine focus areas have been identified to prevent or impact the
above health conditions. The nine focus areas are: childhood
obesity, adolescent obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, teen births,
adult immunizations, oral health, older adult falls, drug over-
dose deaths, alcohol related deaths, and health systems access.
The Office of Oral Health has inaugurated a preventive
smoking campaign titled
#ShareFive
. The intent of the
campaign is to prevent adolescents aged 13 to 18 from begin-
ning to smoke tobacco.
The campaign is being
produced and dissemi-
n a t e d i n p a r t ne r s
with the New Mexico
Youth Forum in Your
C ommu n i t y , Ne w
Mexico Delta Dental,
New Mexico Dent al
Association, KOAT TV,
and the Department of
Health’s Office School
and Adolescent Oral
Health and Tobacco
Cessation Program.
#ShareFive
is a social
m e d i a c a m p a i g n
produced by adolescents targeting their peers. The
#ShareFive
campaign is to encourage
nonsmoking teens
to spend five
minutes educating their peers on the adverse health effects
of smoking. The goal is to prevent an adolescent from begin-
ning to smoke or use alternative smoking products such as
e-cigarettes.
New Mexico Youth Forum for Your Community will identify
local adolescents interested in developing a teaching video
for their peers on the development of a prevention video
or poster. KOAT TV and the department will promote the
campaign to local adolescent and parent organizations inviting
the adolescents to produce their own video.
The effects of smoking:
•
Smokers are about twice as likely to lose
their teeth as non-smokers.
•
Cigarette smokers are nearly twice as
likely to need root canal treatment.
•
Smoking leads to reduced effectiveness
of treatment for gum disease.
•
Smoking increases risk of mouth pain,
cavities and gum recession (which can
lead to tooth loss).
•
Tobacco reduces the body’s ability to fight
infection (including in the mouth and gums).
Smoking also limits the growth of blood
vessels, slowing the healing of gum tissue
after oral surgery or from injury.
•
Smokeless tobacco (snuff or chewing
tobacco) is associated with cancers of
the cheek, gums and lining of the lips.
Users of smokeless tobacco are 50 times
more likely to develop these cancers than
non-users.
•
Cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff and
unprocessed tobacco leaves (used as
cigar wrappers) contain tiny particles that
are abrasive to teeth. When mixed with
saliva and chewed, an abrasive paste is
created that wears down teeth over time.
1
The #ShareFive
campaign is
to encourage
nonsmoking teens
to spend five
minutes educating
their peers on the
adverse health
effects of smoking.