Today, March 20, is World Oral Health Day. The World Dental Federation (FDI), the organization leading the initiative, has set the slogan ‘Say Ahh: Think Mouth, Think Health’. Under this slogan, the organization aims to make people aware of the close relationship between oral health and the health of our body in general. On the occasion of this date, we have the collaboration of Dr. Sandra Cardona, specialist in Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry at Clínica Den, a member center of Top Doctors.
Clínica Den believes in the importance of taking care of our mouth from the earliest years. If visits to the dentist and oral hygiene habits are acquired from childhood, disease prevention will be much more effective. For this reason, coinciding with World Oral Health Day, we highlight the importance of pediatric dentistry, the discipline of dentistry that takes care of children’s mouths.
Why is it important for parents to take their babies to the dentist when they are only 1 or 2 years old?
Primary teeth, also known as baby teeth, begin to appear in the mouth at around 6 months of age. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases during childhood ages, as early childhood caries (baby bottle tooth decay) can appear as soon as the tooth is in the oral cavity.
Oral hygiene should be initiated before primary teeth erupt in the mouth. Gum cleaning should be performed at this stage in order to establish and stimulate good oral habits and prevent the development of oral diseases.
The purpose of a first visit at 6 months of age or during the first year of life is to instruct and educate parents in various aspects. Some of them are: how to carry out their children’s oral hygiene, what toothbrush to use or what toothpaste and how much to put on the toothbrush.
The new term “dental home” has been introduced, which defines the development of a patient-dentist relationship that includes all aspects of the child’s oral health based on continuous, coordinated, family-centered access guidance.
This dental home should be established during the first 12 months of life. As we have said, the objective is to guide, educate and instruct parents and/or caregivers on aspects such as dental eruptive processes and the proper development of the jaws. It is also necessary to instill good oral hygiene habits, diet indications and protocols for prevention and action in case of dental trauma, among other aspects.
How does it benefit us in the future to educate our children in oral health?
Primary teeth are closely related to permanent teeth. The early establishment of good oral hygiene habits will prevent the development of oral diseases during the first years of life. Several scientific studies have shown that a caries-free mouth during childhood is directly related to a mouth free of caries and periodontal diseases during adulthood.
What oral diseases can we prevent if we take care of our oral hygiene from the time we are babies?
As already mentioned, the primary teeth are closely related to the permanent teeth. Thus, primary teeth play a very important role in the oral cavity, influencing functions such as:
- Maintaining the space for the permanent teeth
- They serve as a guide for the correct eruption of their permanent successors.
- They allow a correct masticatory function and, therefore, a correct development of the jaws.
- Allow correct speech development
Thus, good oral health in infancy and, therefore, proper maintenance of these teeth will allow us to avoid the development of caries, which could lead to
- Acute pain at an early age
- Infections, with the consequent involvement of the successor tooth.
- Early loss of the primary tooth, which could lead to a loss of space for the permanent tooth; a loss of eruptive guidance and, therefore, alterations in the eruption of the permanent teeth, alterations in their position and alterations in their structure.
- Alterations in chewing and/or speech function.
- Loss or alterations in the child’s self-esteem.
Does society know the importance of going to the dentist and taking care of oral health from an early age?
There is still a long way to go. Parents are increasingly aware of the importance of their children’s oral health. However, the first visits are still made around the age of 6, due to the presence of cavities. There is still the conception that “they are baby teeth, they have to fall out”. We must keep in mind that these “baby teeth” play a very important role in the correct development of the jaws and thus avoid orthodontic problems, chewing problems and, therefore, other derivatives that influence the correct feeding, speech development and maintaining a healthy smile, which also influences the development of their self-esteem.
What can we do to raise awareness of the importance of pediatric dentistry?
We should be aware that there is no better remedy than prevention. Oral education should begin as soon as the mother starts her pregnancy, following a correct oral hygiene and a balanced diet during the whole process. It is from this moment that the recommendations that the mother should follow regarding the oral health of her child should begin, motivating her to make a first visit to the pediatric dentist during the first 12 months of life.
In addition, pediatricians and pediatric dentists should team up to educate and instruct parents on how and why to maintain proper oral health in children.