Toothy Traditions will allow participants to learn more about their dentition\, oral health\, and global traditions. At the event\, children will be given a &ldquo\;tooth passport\,&rdquo\; and each station they visit will earn them a stamp. A fully-stamped passpo rt will be rewarded with a goodie bag.
\nStations will represent dif ferent regions of the world and will be attended by dental-focused Anthrop ology faculty and graduate students\, clinical partners\, and Predental St udies students who will talk about human teeth\, global tooth-loss-related traditions\, and about oral health practices. We aim to improve community oral health by fostering a judgement-free atmosphere where participants c an ask questions about oral health at all stages of life and by providing dental health information and free products.
\nAfter losing a tooth\, most American children leave it for the &lsquo\;Tooth Fairy.&rsquo\; Although the Tooth Fairy figure is po pular in many countries\, diverse tooth-loss-related traditions are practi ced across the globe. While children in Indonesia throw their teeth to the sky\, children in parts of Europe place lost teeth into a fire for good l uck (Parsons et al.\, 2023). The UARK&rsquo\;s Department of Anthropology is an internationally-recognized hub of dental research and home to a 400+ student Predental Studies Program that prepares graduates for dental scho ol admission. Program Director\, Kathleen Paul\, recently founded the UARK Tooth Fairy Project (TFP)\, which aims to establish a biobank of donated teeth to expand teaching and research collections. The TFP has consulted w ith peer institutions that have successfully developed similar collections \, including the CENIEH\, whose Rá\;ton Pé\;rez Collection com prises 5\,000+ donated teeth from across Spain. Rá\;ton Pé\;re z\, a Spanish Tooth Fairy figure\, encourages families to engage and parti cipate in their study. Their collection&rsquo\;s success is fueled by shar ed cultural practice and mythology surrounding this key moment in childhoo d and development. The TFP aims to take a similar approach to spur communi ty support.
\nFor disability accommodations\, call 479.856.7170 or email kidsquestions@faylib.org \;2-3 weekdays b efore a program. Plan your visit by viewing our building map \;and details on accessibility services.
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