State Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero) announced on Thursday the winners of her 5th Annual Oral Health Essay and Poetry Contest. This year’s winners are Michelle Castaneda, Manuel Carrillo, Jasmine Alvarez, Kacia Huynh, Lizbeth Saldaña, and Paola Carrillo. Hernandez sponsored the contest earlier this year, awarding prizes including a laptop, electric toothbrushes and IPod shuffles to increase awareness of dental hygiene issues among young children. “Children who do not have healthy teeth and gums can end up facing serious health risks and experiencing a lot of pain,” Hernandez said. “Tooth decay is the number one leading cause for children missing school next to asthma. By encouraging children to participate in this contest, I hope they learned a little bit and will start to take dental care seriously.” For more information, call 708-222-5240.