Best Predictors of Cavities In
Preschool and School Aged Children

Clinical
evidence has proven that having cavities in baby teeth is the most significant
single predictor of having more cavities in the future.*
Children with tooth decay in
their baby teeth are nearly three times more likely to have
decay in their permanent teeth.^
If all first molars have cavities, then there is
a high probability that the second molars will also get cavities.*
Oral health care
for children is the cornerstone for adult oral
health!~
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Updates
CDC released a report in May
showing that, while Americans of all ages continue to experience
improved oral health, the rate of tooth decay increased among
children aged 2-5 from 24% to 28% over approximately 10 years
between 1994 and 2004. The report, "Trends in Oral Health
Status: United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004," noted several
racial and ethnic disparities. Thirty-one percent of Mexican
American children aged 6 to 11 had experienced decay in their
permanent teeth, compared with 19% of non-Hispanic white
children. There were also disparities along economic lines.
Three times as many children aged 6-11 (12%) from families with
incomes below the federal poverty line had untreated tooth
decay, compared with children from families with incomes above
poverty (4%). ADA org 5/07
Amoxicillin and tooth enamel
defects
Dental fluorosis, a result of exposure to
excessive fluoride during enamel formation, is one of the most
common defects seen in permanent teeth. The clinical signs
range from barely noticeable white flecks, to pits and brown
stains. Amoxicillin is one of the most common antibiotics used
among pediatric patients, mainly for treatment of otitis
media---infection of the middle ear. A recent study in the
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine linked the use
of amoxicillin with the presence of fluorosis in permanent
teeth.
The use of amoxicillin during early infancy showed a strong
correlation with fluorosis defects on the permanent teeth that
come in earliest---the six year molars and the two front
teeth. The longer a child used the amoxicillin , the
greater the risk that dental fluorosis would develop.
Amoxicillin use from three to six months doubled the risk of
dental fluorosis. Doctors have more choices in the treatment
of pediatric ear infections. If you have an infant will
certainly want to discuss this issue with your child’s
pediatrician.
Childhood Obesity + Pediatric Dentistry
About 15% of children and adolescents ages 6-19 are obese.
Pediatric dentists have an important role in fighting the
rapid increase in childhood obesity. They must also heighten
their staff's awareness by relying on the recently adopted
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Policy on Dietary
Recommendations for Infants, Children and Adolescents. The
policy suggests that "the first three years of life may
lay the groundwork for obesity," and that dentists
bear responsibility for educating parents.
(Source: July/Aug 2005 Pediatric Dentistry) Author: William
F. Vann, Jr, Thomas J. Bouwens, Antonio S.
Braithwaite, Jessica Y. Lee
Title: The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: A Role for Pediatric
Dentists
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Infant
Antibiotic Use Linked To Later Dental Problems
Infants who are given the antibiotic
amoxicillin are at an increased risk of dental problems
later in life, University of Iowa researcherssuggest.
Amoxicillin is one of the most common antibiotics used among
children, for conditions such as middle ear infections.
The BBC reports that the researchers say the drug appears
to be linked to enamel damage in permanent teeth. Enamel
defects can showclinical signs ranging from barely
noticeable white flecks, to pits and brown stains.
The study found that the more children took the drug, the
more teeth were affected, but a UK expert said it was more
likely the diseases themselves had caused the damage, rather
than the drug. The researchers followed 579 infants from
birth until they were 32 months old, using questionnaires
every three to four months to gather information on fluoride
intake and amoxicillin use.
By the age of one, three-quarters of the subjects had used
amoxicillin. By 32 months, 91% had used amoxicillin. It
was found that amoxicillin use from three to six months
doubled the risk of dental fluorosis. This condition is
usually linked to exposure toexcess levels of fluoride in
which the normal maturation of dental enamel is blocked due
to disruption of the ameloblasts - the cellswhich produce
the enamel.
Writing in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,
the team led by Dr Liang Hong, said, `The results of our
study show that amoxicillin use during early infancy seems
to be linked to dental fluorosis on both permanent first
molars and maxillary central incisors. Duration of
amoxicillin use was related to the number of early-erupting
permanent teeth with fluorosis.'
`Amoxicillin use in infancy could carry some heretofore
undocumented risk to the developing teeth. While the
results of this one study do not warrant recommendations to
cease use of amoxicillin early in life, they do further
highlight the need to use antibiotics judiciously,
particularly during infancy.'
Dr Paula Waterhouse, a dental paediatrician at the
University of Newcastle, took issue with the research
findings. She said research had shown that problems with
enamel maturation were more likely in children who suffer
from infections. She told the BBC News website, `My feeling
is that despite in-depth statistical analyses it is likely
to be the illness itself which is causing the developmental
defects in enamel.'
Monday 3rd October 2005 cited smile-on.com
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http://www.brianpalmerdds.com/sids_otitis.htm Great
website on ear infections and SIDS
Cavity
prevention tips for pre-school age children
Providing proper care and oral hygiene
during preschool years can mean a lifetime of good oral health,
Children who develop cavities in their baby teeth are more
likely to develop cavities as an adult. So how can a parent
determine if their child is at risk for cavities? It all begins
with that first trip to the dentist.
The first dental visit should include an exam
to determine if the child is at low, moderate or high risk for
cavities and will help decide which oral hygiene program best
suits them. The dentist will be able to explain to the parent
how often the child should be brushing as well as provide
flossing instructions for the child.
Brushing should begin when the first tooth
erupts and parents should be in charge of a child's brushing
until the child is able to tie his or her shoes or write their
own name clearly-usually five or six years of age.
Children whose parents are prone to cavities and tooth decay
need to be extra careful because of genetic predisposition to
tooth decay.
Children at high risk for cavities should
be discouraged from eating starchy snacks such as crackers and
chips. In fact, one good way to determine if a snack is good
for a child is to check their teeth 20 minutes after
consumption. If the teeth are still filled with food, the snack
should be discontinued.
Regardless of what food is eaten, regular
efforts have to be made to clean the teeth before decay can
begin. This means things like brushing, flossing, rinsing after
snacks and using non-sugary beverages in bottles or sippy cups.
Even if your child is not at risk, it is always good to routine
dental check-ups and to limit your child's intake of sugary
foods.Essentially all children are at risk to some extent or
another, so the same basic principles apply-control of
exposure of cavity-inducing food and through cleaning of the
teeth. Even if decay is a low risk for an individual child
they can still develop gingivitis or other problems if home care
is inadequate.
January/February issue of
General Dentistry,
clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General
Dentistry (AGD)2005
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Toymaker
Hasbro Inc. plans to turn jawbones into headphones to try to
tune out tooth decay.
The company announced Friday it's launching
''Tooth Tunes,'' a toothbrush that transmits music
through the jawbone to the ear when its bristles touch
teeth.
The battery-operated toothbrush contains a tiny microchip
that stores the song. When the user presses a button and
starts brushing, sound vibrations pass through the tooth, to
the jawbone and into the inner ear. The song plays for two
minutes, the amount of time dentists recommend people spend
brushing their teeth.
The Pawtucket-based company will offer the product, priced
under $10, starting in September nationwide.
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Dental caries: a
transmissible bacterial infection
According to Kathy Phipps, PhD, under normal
circumstances of diet and challenge, children become
permanently colonized with mutans streptococci between the
middle of the second year and the end of the third year of
life, during a window of infectivity. Despite a
long-held belief that mutans streptococci require teeth for
persistent oral colonization, recent studies have
demonstrated that the bacteria can colonize the mouths of
infants who have no teeth, particularly in the
furrows of the tongue. The primary sources of
caries-causing bacteria in infants are their mothers.
The higher the level of maternal mutans streptococcal
infection, the higher the percentage of children who become
infected. By shifting the focus to the bacterial
nature of the disease, we will be able to more effectively
prevent and treat dental caries. UDA
Action, newsletter of the Utah Dental Association, May/June
2004
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Caries in Primary Teeth
Predict Future Decay
Children with tooth
decay in their primary dentition are nearly three times more
likely to have decay in their permanent teeth, according
to an eight-year study conducted in China. In 362 Chinese
children age 3 to 5 years at the time of the 1992 baseline
study, 85 percent who had had caries in their primary
molars showed at least one decayed permanent tooth in a
follow-up examination in 2000. In contrast, 83 percent of
the children who exhibited no caries in their primary teeth
remained decay-free until at least age 12. The authors of
the study suggest that children with caries in their
primary dentition should be considered high-risk cases for
decay in permanent teeth, increasing the importance of
dental sealants and fluoride treatments for decay
prevention. The recommendation is consistent with a recent
recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and
The results of the Chinese study were published in the August
2002 issue of the Journal of Dental Research.
Fluoride Toothpaste
Significantly Reduces Childhood Cavities
A review of 50 years of clinical
trails (74 studies involving more than 42,000 children under the
age of 16) firmly establishes that in children brushing
with toothpaste containing fluoride results in 24% less cavities than
does brushing with non fluoridated toothpaste. This study conferred: