New Delhi [India], March 10 (HBTV): Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited has announced a collaboration with the Government of Haryana to expand its flagship initiative, Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF), aimed at providing oral health education to 57 lakh schoolchildren across the state.
The BSBF program currently reaches more than 10 million children annually across several Indian states. The initiative, one of the longest-running oral health education programs globally, seeks to address both immediate oral health needs and long-term well-being among children.
'Ensuring the health and well-being of our children is central to our vision for Haryana's future. Through this collaboration with Colgate, we aim to strengthen awareness and embed preventive oral hygiene practices among students across the state, supporting their overall development and confidence,' Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said.
The statewide rollout will integrate structured oral health education within Haryana’s public and private school systems, focusing on preventive care during the formative years when lifelong habits are developed.
'This partnership represents a systemic shift from awareness to large-scale action for 57 lakh children. By embedding Bright Smiles, Bright Futures into Haryana's educational framework, we are making preventive care a nonnegotiable part of a child's development. This is about more than hygiene; it is about building a sustainable culture of health that begins in the classroom and lasts a lifetime,' said Prabha Narasimhan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited.
The programme will include structured in-person learning sessions conducted by trained facilitators in schools, along with a curriculum promoting proper brushing techniques, timely toothbrush replacement, awareness on tobacco prevention and nutrition practices that support oral hygiene.
Schools will also install Oral Health Boards to encourage daily awareness among students, while teachers will receive training on dental anatomy and oral hygiene practices to reinforce the lessons in classrooms.
Students will additionally receive take-home dental kits and brushing calendars to help extend healthy habits from school to home and encourage parental participation in maintaining oral hygiene routines.
'Preventive health education, when delivered consistently and embedded early, creates powerful ripple effects beyond the classroom. Children become ambassadors of healthy habits within their families and communities. This collaboration reinforces our dedication to fostering lasting behavioural change,' said Shilpashree Muniswamappa, Director of ESG and Communications at Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited.
Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program has benefited more than 195 million children across India and over 2 billion children and their families worldwide since its inception, supported through partnerships with governments and organisations across several Indian states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Kerala, Assam, Puducherry and Goa.
The collaboration with Haryana marks a further expansion of the programme.
(ANI)