ECTD is a 100 per cent preventable disease?

Healthy smile, healthy child
By Rick Scherger
Friday August 25, 2006

Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times — Over 2,000 Manitoba children undergo unnecessary dental surgery every year to treat early childhood tooth decay (ECTD). ECTD is a 100 per cent preventable disease.
Healthy smile, happy child is a prevention initiative that was established six years ago to address the problem. It began as a pilot program in four Manitoba communities but now has been expanded.
Winnipeg and Interlake community facilitator Christine Crockatt is encouraging community programs and services to become involved in the province-wide initiative.
“We received a grant from the Manitoba government and now are able to take this throughout the province,” she said.
Crockatt is able to provide interested parties with workshops, educational opportunities, presentations to families or professionals, as well as a number of resources for anyone interested at home or business.
The program is intended for children between the ages of zero and six. ECTD is a bacterial infection that shows up in children in this age group. It can affect an infant’s first tooth. The disease begins in the front teeth and can spread rapidly.
Crockatt says it can lead to dental surgery, including tooth extraction.
Happy smile, happy child can be found on the Internet at: www.wrha.mb.ca/healthinfo/preventill/oral_child.php. On the site there is downloadable material filled with valuable information on how to care for young children’s teeth and what the program offers.
Crockatt can be contacted in Winnipeg at 204-789-3500 or can be reached by e-mail at ccrockatt@mich.ca.
Manitoba, Canada is 73% fluoridated: NYSCOF

Never heard of ECTD before