Healthy Teeth 2020

Dental hygiene is commonly overlooked in poverty-stricken regions around the world, including Armenia, for the obvious fact that the population has more pressing concerns such as securing everyday necessities like food, shelter and clothing. In the light of all these hardships, brushing one’s teeth for two minutes, twice a day seems trivial and indeed insignificant.

The Healthy Teeth Project aims to make oral hygiene and health attainable for children living in poverty stricken areas throughout Armenia. Through this project The Paros Foundation, along with supporters and volunteers, hopes to raise awareness about the importance of promoting good dental hygiene in Armenian children. Furthermore, through this effort we hope to prevent more extensive dental problems, which would cause more serious health issues in the future.

The Healthy Teeth project was launched in 2013. Since then over 15,000 items, including toothbrushes, toothpastes, mouthwash and dental floss, have been distributed throughout Armenia and Artsakh.

Joe Chelebian, an Armenian-American from Los Angeles and SERVICE Armenia 2019 participant, will be spearheading this effort for the second year. Joe will launch a charity drive to raise funds and dental hygiene products (including toothpaste, toothbrushes and floss) from his community at St. James Armenian Church in Los Angeles. He hopes to return to Armenia this summer, to help distribute the items throughout Armenia.