The Two Minute Challenge is great fun and perfect for schools, colleges, workplaces and community groups – in fact, anywhere there are working groups of people.

It’s simple to organise, is lots of fun and really gets you talking about the value of a healthy oral hygiene routine.

The Two Minute Challenge is a competition to see who can brush their teeth closest to two minutes without the aid of a clock or watch.

This may sound simple, but it’s really not.

On average, research shows that adults brushing their teeth for what they believe is two minutes, is actually 54 seconds!

The Two Minute Challenge is a fun and informative way of making people aware of the two-minute rule for brushing.

Watching how people react under the pressure of competition can be great for team building. You could even charge an entry fee and use the money to buy a prize for the winner.

What you need

• A group of willing participants.

• Toothbrushes.

• Toothpaste.

• A stopwatch.

• …and two minutes.

Your two minute challenge checklist

• Decide on your who this is for? Are you doing this as a school activity for children, or teambuilding in the workplace?
  

• Save a date, time and organise the venue. Then send your participants an invite. Be sure to explain the details and rules of the Two Minute Challenge, along with why you are doing this (National Smile Month). You can alert them to the competition through office email, a poster in a communal area, or the office intranet. If you’re going into a school it can be part of your proposal letter to them about your visit.

• Some may prefer to bring in their own toothbrushes while some may not. Make sure you have enough toothbrushes and toothpaste for everybody. Our educational resources area at Educating Smiles has a wide range of oral health equipment for all ages.
  

• Are you offering a prize to the winner? Perhaps you’re asking colleagues to put in £1 for entry?  If so, then this is the time to collect entry funds and buy a prize. How about something fun and related to oral health…. A National Smile Month mug for the office perhaps, or a book like The Lost Smile for a child?

• If you would like people to attend your two minute challenge, then you can upload the details of your event on our website. Write about what your event is, where and when it is taking place and it will be listed on our events page for all our visitors to find. From there, they will be able to add it to their calendar, and if you are raising money as part of the event, supporters will even be able to donate to your event online.

• On the day, remind everybody why they’re taking part and the importance of brushing for a full two minutes. Start the stop watch and let the Two Minute Challenge commence!

Extra tip... If you’re doing this as part of a school activity, our Brushing Sand Timers can be handed out to children after the event for them to take away and implement into their oral health routine at home.

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Useful links:

• About National Smile Month

• Getting involved in National Smile Month

• National Smile Month shop

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National Smile Month Official Sponsors