PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — At least 20 public elementary schools spread out in Mindanao’s six regions have been selected by the Department of Education (DepEd) to pilot the implementation of its dental project called “Happy Smiles for Healthy Kids” for school year 2011-2012 in the country’s second biggest island region. Dr. Walter Albos, DepEd regional director for Western Mindanao, said the project enforced by the department’s Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) in coordination with the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) and Lamoiyan Corp., is expected to initially benefit some 10,000 pupils in the Southern Philippines where tooth ailments, particularly dental caries, are found to be prevalent among school children. Luistro, Albos said, identified the 18 provincial and city schools divisions where the pilot schools are located as Pagadian City, Zamboanga Sibugay, Dipolog City and Zamboanga City in Western Mindanao or Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9); Bukidnon, Ozamiz City, and Camiguin in Northern Mindanao (Region 10); Davao del Sur, Davao City and Davao del Norte in Southern Mindanao (Region 11); South Cotabato, Kidapawan City, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato City, and North Cotabato in Central Mindanao (Region 12); Surigao del Sur and Butuan City in Caraga (Region 13), and Lanao del Sur in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Luistro also directed concerned schools division superintendents to strongly support the project which seeks to ultimately reduce the prevalence of dental caries and other tooth diseases among pupils, especially those in rural schools.