FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact:
Cindy Metcalf, Executive Director
918-960-2666
[email protected]
Texas Association of Orthodontists Celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month with Spanish-language Resources for Parents
Austin, Texas- (February 1, 2022) The Texas Association of Orthodontists (TAO) is taking advantage of National Children’s Dental Health Month to make Spanish-speaking parents aware of the Spanish-language resources available on the TAO website and social media.
February is a great opportunity for parents, teachers, and health professionals to promote the benefits of good oral health to children and adults. In consideration of the large number of Spanish-speaking parents in the community, TAO created “TAO en Español,” a Spanish-language section of the website. There, parents can read educational material about orthodontic treatment for children, learn about some of the TAO member orthodontists, and find an orthodontist in their area.
According to recent US Census data, 29.2% of Texans are native speakers of Spanish, and the Texas Demographics Center believes that the number of Hispanics in Texas will grow to exceed 20 million by 2050. TAO strongly believes that community outreach on the part of health professionals should be bilingual, or we risk leaving out a third of the Texas population.
In that spirit, TAO also translates all social media content into Spanish to make information accessible to more people across the state of Texas. Since we began providing bilingual content, our Spanish-speaking audience has grown to 34% of our total followers on Facebook. TAO’s Instagram and Facebook accounts offer helpful tips about caring for orthodontic appliances, the importance of early orthodontic intervention, and video interviews with member orthodontists.
“As an organization one of our goals is to help all parents understand how important orthodontic care can be for their children’s oral health, and we were concerned that Spanish-speaking parents didn’t have access to quality, accurate information. That’s why we are committed to translating all of our online content, and our social media accounts are managed by bilingual staff who can respond to any questions or concerns,” says Dr. Enrique Cruz, TAO board member and native Spanish speaker.
As part of this month’s awareness campaign, TAO encourages the media and the community to use and distribute freely the following resources:
Website:
Facebook page:
The Texas Association of Orthodontists
Instagram:
Videos:
https://texasortho.org/videos/
A member of TAO can also be made available for quotes or interviews.
About TAO
The Texas Association of Orthodontists is a professional organization of specialists committed to maintaining the highest standards of orthodontic care for the benefit and well-being of our patients throughout the state of Texas. As an organization, we are dedicated to advocating for our members and providing services that benefit their pursuit of professional excellence.
COVID Statement
The health and safety of our patients, staff, and doctors are of the utmost concern for all the members of the Texas Association of Orthodontists. We advise our community to follow the government and local authorities’ recommendations and remain informed about recent developments in your area regarding the containment and prevention of the COVID-19 virus.
You can find detailed information and advice at:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Texas Health and Human Services:
https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/
Resources
[1] https://datausa.io/profile/geo/texas
[2] https://demographics.texas.gov/Resources/publications/2019/20190925_PopProjectionsBrief.pdf