Preventive Picture Book "Okuchi no Naka no Myutan" to Nurture Children's Will The goal of 2 million yen was reached on the first day of the campaign! Challenge to reach the next goal of 5 million yen by Monday, June 30!

A-live Morioka Tonan Dentistry & Children's Orthodontics started a project on the crowdfunding site "CAMPFIRE" to promote the "Okuchi no Naka no Myutan: Children Can Enjoy Learning About Tooth Decay Prevention".

The project is now accepting applications until June 30, 2025 (Monday) in order to reach the next goal of 5 million yen to deliver this picture book to as many facilities and families as possible.

URL: https://camp-fire.jp/projects/842929/view

Okuchi no Naka no Myutan

Next goal of 5 million yen is now being challenged.

In response to supporters' voices, we have added a return!

On the first day of the release of the book, the return of "10 picture books & your name on the back of the book" (limited to 5 units) sold out immediately.

Thankfully, we received more support than expected and many inquiries asking, "Can you add more slots?" We have received many inquiries asking if we could add more slots. We have decided to add a new quota after politely contacting the five supporters and receiving their consent to increase the number of people on the list.

This crowdfunding is a "co-creation" picture book project that is created not only by the project team but also with our supporters. We hope that everyone who shares our vision and supports the children's future with us will choose to experience "having your name in a picture book of the future".

Future Prospects

This project is not only a picture book project, but also a challenge to nurture a future "culture of prevention," that is, to create a society in which "children's voluntary attitude to protect their teeth" becomes a matter of course. In other words, it is a challenge to create a society in which "children take it for granted to protect their teeth of their own volition. Although we have reached our initial goal, we will continue our drive to reach our next goal of 5 million yen and deliver this picture book to as many children as possible. After the completion of the project, we will donate the books to over 40 kindergartens, nursery schools, infant care centers, and libraries that wish to receive them, aiming to realize a society in which children feel that the dentist is a place to protect them instead of a place to heal them.

Voices of supporters (excerpts)

As a dentist and a person who deals with many children on a daily basis, I strongly feel the difficulty of fostering the "ability to protect one's own health" and the significance of being involved in this process. I am convinced that this picture book will be an opportunity to change the behavior of future children and change their lives. I am convinced of that. (Vice President, Dental Clinic, Hiroshima Prefecture)

"The conventional approach to preventive dentistry is to give 'how to do' and 'knowledge. However, what this picture book talks about is "a way of thinking that enriches one's future. This is a picture book where children can learn from the "way of thinking" to protect their own future, rather than preventive dentistry imposed by adults." (Akita Prefecture/ Director of a dental clinic)

"It is said that the number of cavities among children is decreasing, but there are still many children who come to the dental clinic because they have cavities. I was thinking about what I could do for these children when I heard about this. It's really a wonderful initiative!" (Saitama Prefecture/Director of a dental clinic)

Outline of the "Okuchi no Naka no Myutan" Picture Book Binding Crowdfunding Project

Project name

Okuchi no Nakanamiyutan: A picture book project to help children learn about tooth decay prevention in a fun way.

Crowdfunding period

May 30 (Friday) - June 30 (Monday), 2025

Contact

Crowdfunding site "CAMPFIRE

( https://camp-fire.jp/projects/842929/view )

Target Amount

2 million yen (achieved on May 30) → Next goal 5 million yen

Returned goods

A picture book "Okuchi no Naka no Myutan" ("Myutan in the mouth")

Others

Proceeds from this project will be used to cover picture book production costs, design costs, and packaging and shipping costs for returned gifts.

Synopsis of "Okuchi no Naka no Myutan

Kou-kun (5), who loves sweets and hates brushing his teeth, is told by Myutan, a mutans bacteria* from the mouth of the future, that "Myutan, the future's mouth is in trouble! He learns to brush his teeth and develop ideal eating habits by himself in order to change the future. (*Mutans...the most typical bacteria of tooth decay)

Kou-kun is a boy who loves sweets.

Today, he eats chocolate again and says "Good night" without brushing his teeth.

Then one night, he suddenly heard a voice saying, "Ko-kun! and when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to find...

Myutan," a mutans bacteria, came out of Mirai's mouth.

Myutan tells Ko-kun that his future self's mouth is now full of carious teeth, and that the reason for this is that he ate too many sugary snacks and neglected to brush his teeth every day.

If I don't do something, I will be in big trouble!

So, for the first time, Kou-kun began to think seriously about his own mouth and visited a dentist.

The dental hygienist teaches him how to brush and floss his teeth properly, and he learns important things one by one, such as "eating snacks on time" and "using toothpaste with fluoride.

How to eat snacks, when to brush his teeth, and how to get along with the dentist.

As Kou-kun develops the habit of taking good care of his mouth, his future will also change dramatically.

In the last part of the book, Myu-tan delivers a picture of Ko-kun in the future...?

This picture book is a story that will encourage children to think about "oral health" and learn to take care of their own mouths while having fun reading it. It is a perfect book for parents and children to read together, as well as for childcare and educational settings.

■"We want to create our own original picture book, not an existing one."

Kotone Murakami, Dental Assistant, Myutanz (In-Hospital Picture Book Project Team)

This picture book contains many thoughts and feelings that we have experienced in our daily practice. We hope that children will enjoy coming to the dentist of their own volition, not because they "don't want to". We also want them to be interested in their own mouths and want to be healthy. Preventing tooth decay is something that can be achieved with the right knowledge and a little bit of awareness. However, I have felt that it is necessary for adults and children to have a common understanding and to face the same direction. We hope that this picture book will serve as a bridge and trigger conversations between parents and children. Crowdfunding is the first step in meeting people who are willing to expand this idea with us. We hope that those who support us will also feel a sense of participation in this project as "a member of the picture book's creators.

I hope that the importance of prevention will become more commonplace in our society.

And I hope that we can get as close as possible to the realization of a society in which everyone can live happily from the age of 0 to 100.

Myutanz Kotone Murakami (Dental Assistant)

Children's own "awareness" is the strongest prevention.

Mina Sato, dental assistant, Myutanz (in-hospital picture book project team)

What we really want to convey is that "caries is not something that can be cured by the dentist," but rather "something important that can be protected by oneself. The first step in preventing tooth decay is for children to become interested in their own mouths. In order for children to understand the true meaning of prevention, it is important for them to follow the process of "knowing, realizing, and wanting to try". In this picture book, we have made many efforts to make this process a natural experience for children. Rather than simply imparting knowledge, the book is designed to nurture the "ability to choose for oneself" and the "opportunity to think".

For example, we placed importance on a structure that encourages children to think together with the characters, to imagine the inside of their own mouths, and to naturally think, "What should I do?

I would be happy if this picture book leads to children's awareness and action, and gives them a little confidence that "I can protect my own health by myself.

Mina Sato (dental assistant), Myutanzu

I want to create a future where this picture book becomes the norm.

Yuuki Yamada, President, a-live Medical Corporation

Who would you like to read this picture book to? I asked the staff, and at the same time, I answered, "All dental clinics, all families, and all dentists. I want to deliver this book to all dental clinics, all families, all kindergartens and nursery schools, and even elementary schools. I want to deliver it to all of them." The "attitude of children to protect their teeth of their own will" depicted in this picture book is the crystallization of what we have been conveying in our daily practice. That is why we do not want this to be just another picture book.

We want to create a society in which this way of thinking becomes the "norm. I believe this from the bottom of my heart. Crowdfunding is just the first step. What we really need to do is to deliver this value to all of Japan and to the children of the future. I feel that this is our "responsibility" as medical professionals. And when our staff asked me for advice on how to create an original picture book, I did not hesitate to call on the trusted illustrator who created our clinic's logo. That is how seriously I felt this project was worthwhile.

This is not just an activity for our clinic. This is a challenge to nurture a future "culture of prevention. I hope you will join me in spreading this idea.

President of a-live Medical Corporation

About a-live Medical Corporation

We at a-live Medical Corporation are committed to the mission of "extending healthy life expectancy" in our daily medical practice, based on our philosophy of "pursuing a society that nurtures happiness from 0 to 100 years of age". With the vision of "becoming a company full of partners who nurture the mental and physical health of patients and enhance the quality of their lives," we provide medical care with a focus on the happiness of people and society.

This picture book project was a natural outgrowth of our pursuit of this philosophy and mission. Dental caries is a disease that can be "prevented" with proper knowledge and understanding. That is why children themselves should ask themselves "Why do teeth get carious? What can we do to prevent it? and "How can we prevent it?" and nurture the ability to protect their oral health on their own initiative. We are seriously aiming for such a future.

This picture book is filled with our hope that children will enjoy self-care by themselves, and that they will positively think that "going to the dentist = taking good care of yourself".

Crowdfunding is not just about raising funds for the production of the picture book. We believe it is the "first step" to deliver our philosophy to society, and a "place to start" to meet others who will spread this idea together. We hope that as this picture book spreads, "taking care of your teeth" will become a part of your life, and as a result, "children taking care of their own oral health" will become "the norm" in the future. We aim to create such a society. We aim to create such a society.

＜Introduction of the picture book creators

Created and planned by Myutansu (a-live Morioka Tonan Dentistry and Children's Orthodontics)

　　　　　Itaya Hiromi, Sato Mina, Ito Hajime, Murakami Kotone, Fujisawa Kaede, Tamagake Nanami

Text and pictures by Minako Sato

Myutans (In-hospital picture book production team)

Designer: Minako Sato

Clinic data

Clinic name: Medical Corporation a-live Morioka Tonan Dentistry & Children's Orthodontics

Location: 13-8, Sanbonryanagi 7-chibari, Morioka-shi, Iwate 020-0831

Director： Yuuki Yamada

Telephone number: 019-638-8680

Establishment of medical corporation: October 2021

Opening days : Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9:00-12:30 / 13:30-17:30

Closed: Thursday, Sunday, Holidays

　　　　　　　 (We are open on Thursdays when a national holiday falls on that day.)

HP ： https://tonandc.com/

Morioka Tonan Dentistry & Children's Orthodontics