DARLING Downs Hospital and Health Service oral health staff members are hoping to brighten the smiles of hundreds of Warwick residents on Friday 9 September.

The Healthy Mouth Healthy Me travelling expo will visit Leslie Park in Warwick, as a part of its tour across the Southern Downs to spread the message of good oral hygiene and its importance for overall well-being.

The expo will feature a variety of fun activities for children such as storytelling with the tooth fairy and Granite Belt oral health therapist and author, Sue Fleming, face painting, craft activities and science experiments to show the effect of acid on teeth.

It will also feature interactive and informative displays for adults about smoking cessation, healthy lunch box ideas and pregnancy information.

Warwick Central State School prep choir will perform from 9.30am, followed by a demonstration by a local Zumba fitness instructor.

Other groups in attendance will include Healthy Living dieticians, iHear Warwick clinic and Ozcare as well as information stalls about bowel and breast cancer screening and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Those visiting the expo will also be able to take home a Healthy Mouth Healthy Me cookbook that features a range of nutritious recipes.

Southern Downs senior oral health therapist Lisa Rippon said while the event would be fun for all ages, it had a serious message to share.

"Having an unhealthy mouth can have a serious impact on your overall health," Lisa said.

"Your mouth is teeming with bacteria and if those bacteria get out of control, then you could see sickness in other parts of your body.

"This is particularly important for anyone who has a chronic illness like diabetes. Chronic diseases can be made more serious, or harder to control, if you have poor oral health."

A sausage sizzle will be on offer thanks to the local Lions Club for a gold coin donation.

This year's Healthy Mouth Healthy Me oral health roadshow follows on from successful events
that were held across the Southern Downs in 2014.