February Children’s Dental Health Month

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and is designed to increase the awareness of children’s dental health issues, including cavities, use of fluoride, dental sealants, brushing and flossing, and tobacco cessation. This observance was created as a single day observance by the American Dental Association in 1941 and has continued to grow into today’s month long observance. Shoney’s and Children’s Hospital are once again pairing to provide pediatric health information to parents. Dental health is one focus of this year’s Eating and Living Healthy campaign, co-sponsored by the two organizations.
“Parents should be aware of children’s dental health at an early age by watching the development of their child’s teeth,” suggests Horace Blanton, D.D.S., Pediatric Dentist and member of the Medical Staff at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Children can always benefit from visiting the dentist, establishing good nutrition, and beginning early dental hygiene. One of the single most effective things that a parent can do to prevent smooth surface decay on their child’s teeth is to personally and vigorously “scrub” the child’s gums, using a soft bristle brush. If your child’s gums bleed easily, this is a sure sign of a lack of adequate and daily stimulation of the child’s teeth and gums, which permits plaque buildup and subsequent “white line” decay to begin. Your child may strenuously object to this vigorous gum line brushing, but if performed daily, the inflamed gums will rapidly shrink and toughen in 10 to 14 days.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Children’s Hospital suggest that the first visit to the dentist occur prior to an infant’s first birthday. Parents should teach proper oral health and hygiene measures at an early age. Once children adapt to good dental habits, they will last throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Along with keeping teeth clean, parents should remember that good dietary habits are essential for a healthy smile and a healthy child. A well-balanced diet is good for proper tooth development as well as for the overall health of the child, because food choices and eating patterns that are developed during childhood affect a person’s health and well-being for life.
One of the more serious dental problems related to dietary habits is “nursing bottle” decay, or severe, early childhood caries. This condition occurs in young children who use a bottle containing milk, juice, or soda like a pacifier or who are breast fed on demand – specifically at times other than normal feedings and throughout the night. According to Dr. Blanton, these children often develop numerous early lesions, most often involving the maxillary incisors (upper front teeth). Nursing practices such as these should be strongly avoided, and water encouraged for between meal drinking instead of milk or juice. A parent should perform vigorous tooth and gum brushing on a daily basis in children under three years of age to eliminate plaque and to check for any sign of smooth surface decay.
Other guidelines that Children’s Hospital pediatricians and pediatric dentists recommend to parents are:
If breast-feeding, avoid “on-demand” feeding or feeding during the night.
Avoid bedtime bottles and the use of bottles as pacifiers.
Wean baby from breast-feeding or the bottle by 12 months of age.
Remember that medications may contain sugars, and should be cleaned off teeth whenever possible.
When a toothbrush is introduced, it should be soft-bristled and small enough to fit comfortably in a child’s mouth. Parents should begin brushing teeth as soon as they erupt.
Limit “gooey” sweets that stick in the pits of back teeth, thereby increasing the possibility of decay. Also, some nutritious snacks such as raisins can stick in these areas and should be cleaned out by brushing.
Care should be taken in the amount of fluoride ingestion. Because young children often swallow toothpaste, no more than a pea-sized amount should be dispensed onto the brush.
Children should be seen by a dentist prior to their first birthday to assess cavity risk. Early examination and intervention with fluoride supplements, dietary changes, or other preventive measures can aid in the reduction of decay.
Routine six-month dental examinations and cleanings should begin around 2 1/2 to 3 years of age.
With children, prevention is always better than a cure. Promoting good dental health even before a child gets that first tooth will ensure a lifetime of beautiful smiles.
For more information on children’s dental health, visit the American Dental Association Web site at www.ada.org, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Web site at www.aapd.org,