Vegemi Supporting the Oral Health of Children in Immigrant Families in Partnership with the Niitty 2 Project

Vegemi has been working in the Pirkanmaa, Finland region to support children’s oral health and help families build positive daily habits at home. The Vegemi app’s toothbrushing companion, educational content, and engaging oral health materials designed for the whole family have been well received by both families and professionals. Through collaboration with the Niitty 2 project, Vegemi has also helped respond to the needs of immigrant families.

The Niitty 2 – Supporting the Everyday Wellbeing of Immigrant Families Together project is coordinated by Tampere University of Applied Sciences. Its aim is to support integration by strengthening the coordination, quality and equality of family services, helping to reduce health disparities and social inequality. Project partners include the City of Tampere and the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa. The project is co-funded by the European Union.

A peer-supported family coaching model helps families develop skills related to childcare, parenting, healthy lifestyles and managing everyday life in a new home country. As part of this collaboration, Vegemi has produced engaging and multilingual materials for the Niitty 2 project, with a particular focus on promoting good oral health.

Multilingual, Positive Support for Family Wellbeing

A varied diet rich in vegetables and fruit supports both overall wellbeing and oral health. Including more vegetables and fruit in the diet can help reduce the consumption of sugary snacks, for example.

Vegemi’s materials are designed for both parents and children. They are practical, engaging and child-centred, supporting everyday oral health habits at home. All materials are available in multiple languages: Finnish, English, Persian, Arabic and Somali.

The parent guide introduces the Vegemi app as a supportive tool for families and clearly summarises the key aspects of children’s oral health: toothbrushing, the role of nutrition, regular meal routines, drinking water and building positive daily habits. The material supports parents in their important role as guides and role models for their children’s oral care.

For children, Vegemi introduces oral health in a fun and visual way through the comic story “Adventure in the Tooth Mountains”, where Vegemi explores inside the mouth. The easy-to-read story teaches children the basics of oral health in a joyful and relatable way. Through the story, children learn about brushing their teeth morning and evening, the different bacteria living in the mouth, the importance of drinking water, and how eating vegetables supports oral health.

Vegemi’s colourful Vegetable Passport encourages children to explore different fruits, vegetables and berries. Children can taste, rate and mark their favourites in the passport at their own pace — turning food discovery into a playful and enjoyable adventure.

 

Working Together Towards Brighter Smiles

Vegemi and the Niitty 2 project bring together health expertise, cultural sensitivity and child-centred methods. Families and children are guided towards healthier choices through storytelling and colourful illustrations. When children are actively engaged, information is easier to remember and they become more motivated to take care of their teeth with the support of an adult.

When information is presented clearly and in the family’s own language, it becomes easier for families to adopt new habits.

Oral health is an important part of a child’s overall wellbeing. When the whole family commits to health-promoting habits, it helps build the foundation for a healthy future — one smile at a time.

Vegemi materials developed for the Niitty project can be found here (in Finnish).