MIRANDA COSGROVE BRUSHES UP WITH HER FANS IN THE BIG APPLE!

New York, NY, October 2009: Hundreds of elementary school kids in the New York City area woke up one morning and brushed their teeth with. Miranda Cosgrove!

The tween idol and star of the popular TV series iCarly and her fans joined with Colgate for an oral health festival in New York City. The festival was part of the ongoing Bright Smiles Bright Futures campaign, a commitment Colgate made to provide 100 million children with free dental screenings, treatment referrals, and oral health education by the year 2010. However, Colgate was proud to announce that it will reach this historic milestone this month - one year ahead of schedule!

Against a backdrop of music, larger than life characters, confetti and a video presentation entitled Road to 100 Million Smiles, Miranda taught her fans lessons on maintaining good oral health. Then the star proceeded to lead her fans in a mass brush-a-thon. The kids boarded a Colgate mobile dental van, one of a fleet of clinics on wheels that tour communities nationwide to receive a free check-up and referrals for further treatment.

Though not every kid nor adult looks forward to a trip to the dentist, Miranda and the dental experts stressed the importance for them to learn early in life that brushing their teeth properly is the surest way to minimize the time they spend in the dentist's chair. The children learned the importance of positive minds, healthy bodies and strong values - and taking control of their own oral health.

Miranda reminded her fans - and adults - that they can log on to Colgate's website to find out how they can invite a Colgate dental van to their community functions and information on when the dental van will be rolling through their neighborhood.