CINCINNATI — Crest and Oral-B announced today that they are giving mouths of America a makeover. Inspired by startling statistics on the state of America’s oral health, including the fact that tooth decay affects more than 90 percent of adults over age 40(1), Crest and Oral-B have launched the Better Check-Ups Challenge.

The Better Check-Ups program will challenge people across the country to improve their oral care in 2010. The program encourages participants to talk to their dentist, start using the full line-up of Crest Pro-Health products and at the end of the six months, Crest and Oral-B are confident that there will be an improvement in each participant’s oral health. If proven wrong, the patient could be eligible to receive a check for $45 to cover the cost of their check-up.*

In late 2009, totalbeauty.com issued a list of the 14 cities in the U.S. with the worst teeth, and Crest and Oral-B selected six of these to identify six ambassadors, residents of the city who want to improve their oral health and lead the challenge. The selected ambassadors must agree to use the regimen twice daily, as well as visit the dentist for an initial check-up, a 3-month visit and then a final appointment at the end of six months to report results. The six participating cities and ambassador casting call dates are as follows:

* Miami, FL – Thursday, December 17th
* Greensboro, NC – Friday, March, 5th
* Atlanta, GA – Monday, March, 8th
* Las Vegas, NV – Monday, March, 15th
* Albuquerque, NM – Wednesday, March, 17th
* Baton Rouge, LA – TBD, please visit www.crestprohealth.com for updates and all location details

Crest and Oral-B have also identified a dentist in each of the six cities to oversee the care of these ambassadors, ensuring they receive the proper attention and documenting their progress fully.

“Patients have started using the full line of Crest and Oral-B products and have seen improvement in the overall health of their teeth,” said Dr. Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S., Coral Gables, Florida. Dr. Sabates’ patients in Miami began the Better Check-Ups challenge in early February and he “feels confident that with a few small changes from this program, individuals’ efforts will have a positive effect on their overall oral health.”

Crest and Oral-B are encouraging anyone who wants to improve their oral health to take part in the Better Check-Ups Challenge. To learn more about joining, go to the Crest Pro-Health website (www.crestprohealth.com). Download the assessment form and purchase the participating products listed below. Each participating individual must have their dentist fill out the form at an initial visit and then again at the end of the six months. If the dentist indicates there is no improvement at the six month check-up, Crest and Oral-B will pay for the visit*.