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Mon 5 May, 2003 03:31 pm
[quote]By Alison McCook
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - By the time they reach six months of age, all babies should be assessed by a pediatrician to determine their risk of developing tooth decay, according to a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
And children who appear most likely to develop cavities should perhaps have their first visit with a dentist before the recommended age of 12 months, Dr. Paul A. Weiss of the AAP and the State University of New York at Buffalo told Reuters Health.
"Twelve months is really the ideal time to start dental visits, unless something significant is going on. In that case, you should start even earlier," Weiss noted.
Although tooth decay is relatively common among children, the majority of all cavities are found in only 20 percent of all children, Weiss said.
"We need to find these 20 percent and get them to the dentist, priority one," he said.
Currently, more than 40 percent of children in the U.S. show signs of tooth decay when they enroll in kindergarten, making the condition many times more common than either asthma or hay fever, Weiss and his colleagues report in the journal Pediatrics.
Although tooth decay is a general problem in children, some are more at risk than others. For example, children of low socioeconomic status who eat sugary foods or babies who are put to bed with a bottle are more likely than others to have cavities at age three.
The risks of bad oral health go beyond cosmetics, the report notes: tooth decay in children's first teeth can affect a child's growth, cause significant pain and can even lead to swelling that can be potentially life-threatening.
Cavities result from an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria naturally found in the mouth.
In an interview, Weiss explained that the types of bacteria a person carries in his or her mouth is essentially set by the age of two. This makes intervening early in life especially important, he said.
Infants likely get their first dose of these bacteria from their mothers or other close caretakers -- often from sharing utensils -- so risk assessments involve checking a mother's oral health, which can help determine her child's risk of also inheriting her cavities, Weiss said.
"If the pediatrician interviews the parent, and finds out that they've had a history of a lot of cavities, then he can counsel the parent on what they can do so that they don't pass these bad bugs onto their kids," he said.
For example, parents can try to chew gums that decrease decay rates, ensure they get enough fluoride, and opt for a diet that favors good bacteria over bad, Weiss said.
"There are things (parents) can do to minimize passing those bacteria onto their kids," he added.
Weiss noted that pediatricians who work in areas with relatively few dentists may need to take an especially active role in promoting good oral health in infants.
In the future, he added that obstetricians may also help fight tooth decay in children by assessing mothers' risks of passing on decay-promoting bacteria and counseling them on good oral health before they have even given birth.
"That's another step down the road," Weiss noted. [/quote]
I don't think that I saw a dentist until I was in 1st grade. What do you think of these findings? Young parents- When did you first take your child to the dentist?
Most toothpastes nowadays and water contains flouride, that lessens tooth decay. Is it possible that articles like this are geared to enhancing dental practices?
Unfortunately, I've seen 18 month toddlers with mouthfuls of black, rotting teeth.
I'm afraid that dental hygiene is a middle-class habit--and there are some middle class mothers who put their babies to sleep with comforting bottles of milk or juice.
Toddlers and toothbrushes take a lot of supervision. Toddlers are inventive and there are thousands of things in this world to scrub--most of them with very unsanitary surfaces.
Unfortunately, the parents most in need of tutoring in dental hygiene are those parents who announce, "Worry? It's only a baby tooth."
Even if the early trips to the dentist are just for rides in the chair and bubble gum toothpaste, they are important in establishing good dental habits.
This is very, very necessary, and I'm happy to see the article. However, it requires that the pediatrician knows what to look for.
I found a tiny light tan spot on one of the sozlet's teeth last year, and didn't like it. I mentioned it to the pediatrician at the well baby visit, and she was utterly unconcerned. "You worry too much." (Granted, I do constantly pepper her with questions, what about this, what about that, and I probably do worry too much. But I really worried about this spot.) When she saw how worried I was, she said that I could take the sozlet to the dentist just to make sure. We did. Our dentist had to make a referral to a pediatric dentist if necesssary, but he took a look and said no problem, just a little chip. You worry too much.
I still didn't like it, but pediatrician + pediatric dentist had both said don't worry, so I tried not to worry. I kept looking at her teeth every chance I got (not an easy proposition). When I saw another spot, I demanded a referral to a pediatric dentist. The pediatric dentist said yup, cavities.
I was utterly devastated.
The cavities were filled on one of the hardest days of my life to date, when the sozlet was 20 months old. She came through with flying colors, no memory of it. The cavities were very, very small, and she didn't feel any pain whatsoever, before or after. Got composite (white) fillings so they are not visible. She was wonderful on the 6-month follow-up visit, didn't cry, walked out happily showing me her bag of stickers, and to my immense relief, was cavity-free. (Keeping cavities from recurring is generally much much harder than keeping them from occurring in the first place.)
At any rate, I was appalled throughout at the lack of accurate information. The pediatrician and horrible dentist are the worst of it, but also the shelves of baby care books I read say to not worry about starting brushing in earnest until a year, and to avoid using flouride until they can spit. We don't give her a bottle, she almost never has sweets, and we didn't think of her as being at risk at all. My mom says she didn't start brushing my teeth until I was about 3, and I went to bed with a bottle of milk every night -- I had zero cavities. It turns out that my husband's family is rife with cavities, though, which I didn't know. There is definitely a genetic predisposition component.
Mostly, though, we didn't brush her teeth carefully enough in the beginning (6-12 months) and didn't use flouride until after we learned about the cavities. They are finding more and more that TOPICAL flouride is what is most important -- systemic (as with drinking water) doesn't do nearly as much good.
-sigh-
In the scheme of things, this is so tiny, but it was absolutely wrenching for me at the time (I consider it to be done with since she has remained cavity-free, but I still brush her teeth after every single meal, etc., and we need to remain extra vigilant), and if this article/policy statement can prevent someone else from going through that, I'm all for it. And wish I would've seen it 2 years ago.
Yeah, and I need a home prostate exam at lest three times a week, but squinney will only help me on special occasions.
I don't remember when my sons first visit to the dentist was, but he wasn't a baby by far.
Bi-Polar Bear wrote:Yeah, and I need a home prostate exam at lest three times a week, but squinney will only help me on special occasions.
PSA or rectal with finger?
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