From the #deltadentalARFoundation: Spoiler alert: Watching Arkansas PBS could improve your smile.

As longtime PBS viewers might have noticed, Curious George and Sesame Street aren’t the only programs entertaining and educating young Arkansans on weekday afternoons anymore. Short, animated Public Service Announcements about oral health were added to the lineup earlier this year. 

Now the state’s youngest pupils are learning about bacteria in the mouth, tooth decay, jaw clenching and teeth grinding. 

The 1-2 minute segments were brought to local television screens thanks to a 2023 #communitygrant from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation.

And that’s not all. 

A clip explaining the importance of wearing mouthguards while playing sports airs during Arkansas PBS’ live broadcast and streaming—usually on weekends—of the high school state championship games, including basketball, baseball/softball, football and volleyball. 

“With Arkansas PBS’ roots in educational programming, these short videos are super relevant,” explained Aaron Utley, corporate relations officer at the Arkansas PBS Foundation. 

Indeed.

Describing itself as “Arkansas’s largest classroom,” Arkansas PBS was founded as AETN, Arkansas Educational Television Network, in the 1960s. As the state’s only statewide media network, it pledges to make “education accessible to every Arkansan” through local storytelling, public affairs work and a slew of news and educational programs for diverse audiences. 

Cue healthy smiles. 

Arkansas PBS is leveraging the strength and influence of its main broadcast channel, which reaches 95% of Arkansans, to share important PSAs on oral health and hygiene with viewers of all ages across the state. 

These short clips are Delta Dental of Arkansas originals, produced for public viewing and dissemination on our website and YouTube channel. And now, they are experiencing a “syndication” of sorts, airing on all Arkansas PBS stations at least three times a week through the end of the year. They may serve as an effective educational resource about the importance of establishing healthy habits early in life. 

This is the type of screen time we love! Is your organization working on a healthy smiles program, on or off-screen? Maybe we can help with funding. Check out our grant opportunities here.

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