USA - Today's preschoolers more likely to have cavities:
The News Journal/SHANNON LEE ZIRKLE
Babies who sleep with a bottle in their crib. Toddlers who keep a juice-filled sippy cup within reach. Preschoolers who gobble fruit snacks every day.
Dr. Rachel Maher can usually spot them in an instant. But it's not the drink container or the food wrapper that gives them away. It's their teeth -- often covered in plaque and sometimes so rotted they must be removed. "I see it every day," said Maher, a pediatric dentist. "I see cavities in babies who are a year old." Maher has 13 patients under the age of 4 awaiting surgical removal of their cavities. They can't handle the typical in-office procedure so they must visit the hospital and have it done under general anesthesia. Even though these teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent ones, the threat posed to them by sugary foods and drinks is serious. "Cavities in the primary teeth can be an indicator of cavities in the permanent teeth," she said. It's a problem that goes beyond the dentist's chair in Maher's Brandywine Hundred office. Nationwide, preschoolers today are more likely to have cavities than the same-age kids of a decade ago, according to recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This look at the nation's dental health -- the largest of its kind in more than 25 years -- found that the number of kids age 2 to 5 with cavities increased to 28 percent during a five-year period ending in 2004. A decade earlier, that number was at 24 percent. There was some good news, though. The study found that cavities in school-age kids and teens have decreased.
Limiting sweets
Although there's no definitive cause for the spike in the number of kids with cavities, dentists have plenty of ideas. Too many sugary drinks and snacks offered to children throughout the day are among the biggest culprits. "It's not how much sugar kids are getting, it's how many times a day they're getting it," said Dr. Robert Collins, a Pike Creek pediatric dentist in practice with his father, Dale. Some dentists also say consumption of bottled water without added fluoride may be a factor in the increase of cavities. Parents of preschoolers often are flummoxed by the news that their little one has a cavity or two, Collins said. Their kids don't eat candy, they say. But they do tote around a bottle of juice or milk everywhere they go. And that means their teeth are being bombarded with sugary substances -- yes, even milk has natural sugars in it -- practically round the clock.
And for those kids -- or adults, for that matter -- who have a particular type of bacteria in their mouth that predisposes them to cavities, that sugar helps create an inviting environment for tooth decay. The bacteria, called Streptococcus mutans, can be found on tooth surfaces. When it interacts with sugars and some starches, it produces acids that can cause mineral loss from teeth. Cavities form when the mineral is eroded so much and for so long that the teeth can't properly heal. Most people don't realize the bacteria is transmissible between parents and children, such as by sharing silverware, rinsing a dropped pacifier in a parent's mouth or by kissing. In fact, if a parent or person caring for the child has active tooth decay, the child has a high chance of developing tooth decay, said Dr. Charlie Inga, director of the dental clinic at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in Rockland. Good hygiene can help eliminate the bacteria from the mouth. It also helps to reduce the amount of time sugary food and drinks linger on the teeth. If juice is on the menu, restrict it to mealtimes because that's when the saliva in the mouth acts as a natural buffer for the teeth, Maher said. Mix the juice with water so it's not as sweet. Never put a child in bed with juice or milk to lull them to sleep, Inga said. For infants and toddlers who nurse or have a bottle before bed, parents should rinse their children's mouths out, either with a wet washcloth or small toothbrush.
"Think about it. If you spill apple juice on a table, you wipe it up because, if you don't, it will feel sticky for a week," Inga said. "That's what it does to the teeth as well."
Baby those teeth
For most babies, the first tooth erupts somewhere around six months. It's hard at that time for parents to think about taking their infant to the dentist, but that's exactly what they should do, at least within six months of that dental milestone. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, babies should have their first visit with a dentist by their first birthday. Pediatric dentists, who undergo two or three years of specialized pediatric training after dental school, are usually the only dentists who will see children that young. Starting kids early at the dentist not only helps them feel comfortable when they visit, it helps reinforce the importance of keeping their mouth healthy. "What we're trying to do is start a dental home for them," Maher said, noting that 30 percent of all children with baby teeth injure at least one of them at some point. "With more dental visits, there's less dental cavities." Unfortunately, Collins said, some parents think that baby teeth aren't as important as permanent teeth because they fall out. But that's hardly the case, considering that baby, or primary teeth, act as space maintainers for later teeth. "If teeth are lost early, it affects how permanent teeth come in," he said. The front teeth usually start popping around 5 or 6, but permanent back molars may not come in until 12. "That's a long time to put up with pain. It's a long time to go without teeth," he said.
Getting into the habit
At just 17 months, Holly Osman knows what a toothbrush is for. She points to it when she watches her older siblings, 4-year-old Hannah and 3-year-old Ricky, brush their teeth. It's a habit her mother, Elaine, wholeheartedly encourages, especially after big sister Hannah had to get two cavities filled when she was about 3 years old. Elaine Osman said she was shocked when her daughter's dentist told her about the cavities. Like many parents, she made sure her kids brushed their teeth daily. She let them brush their own teeth, but she followed up to get any missed spots. She even limited the amount of juice they drank by cutting it with water. "I was very upset," said Osman, who lives in Brandywine Hundred. "I asked the dentist, 'Is this normal?' " The dentist eased her mind by telling her that cavities have become increasingly common in kids that age. But after that, Osman was determined not to have a repeat performance. She cut back on fruit snacks -- loathed by dentists -- and she lessened the amount of juice she offered, diluting it with even more water. She's also making sure the kids brush their teeth twice a day, something they didn't always do before. Maher said that most kids don't develop manual dexterity until about 7 or 8, so it's important for parents to do the main job of brushing their kids' teeth. Electric or manual toothbrushes are fine. Brush near the gumline where the plaque accumulates. Kids over 2 can have a pea-sized dollop of toothpaste on their brush, but the real key is the brushing action. That's what removes the plaque more than the toothpaste, Maher said.
Helen Riley, executive director of St. Michael's School and Nursery in Wilmington, said teachers emphasize the importance of brushing and clean teeth with the children. When the school does its unit on the body, good oral hygiene is always included. But it's the parents who carry the most responsibility -- and the most sway -- with kids. Riley said. That includes choosing food and drinks low in sugar and teaching them the correct way to brush. "One of the things parents can do is take children with them when they're brushing their teeth," she said. "It's such an easy thing to model. And if you get little children to do it, they grow up with it." Even going to the dentist can be seen as a rite of passage for kids, showing them how big they are getting. And since many pediatric dentists show cartoons and give away balloons and prizes, fear of the dentist is a thing of the past for most kids, Riley said. If preschoolers do get cavities, most are filled in the office. Nitrous oxide can be used to settle down a nervous youngster, although some kids don't need it. Others undergo conscious sedation, in which they are awake during the procedure, but are not really aware of what's happening. For Elaine Osman, the process of getting her daughter's cavities filled -- one on a back, bottom molar and a second on the back of a front tooth -- was harder for her than Hannah. "They put a clown nose on her, which had laughing gas in it," she said. "Once they gave that, she was completely fine. When they were done, she got her gift from the office and we left. That was it."
Delaware is 81% fluoridated: NYSCOF
Babies who sleep with a bottle in their crib. Toddlers who keep a juice-filled sippy cup within reach. Preschoolers who gobble fruit snacks every day.
Dr. Rachel Maher can usually spot them in an instant. But it's not the drink container or the food wrapper that gives them away. It's their teeth -- often covered in plaque and sometimes so rotted they must be removed. "I see it every day," said Maher, a pediatric dentist. "I see cavities in babies who are a year old." Maher has 13 patients under the age of 4 awaiting surgical removal of their cavities. They can't handle the typical in-office procedure so they must visit the hospital and have it done under general anesthesia. Even though these teeth will eventually be replaced by permanent ones, the threat posed to them by sugary foods and drinks is serious. "Cavities in the primary teeth can be an indicator of cavities in the permanent teeth," she said. It's a problem that goes beyond the dentist's chair in Maher's Brandywine Hundred office. Nationwide, preschoolers today are more likely to have cavities than the same-age kids of a decade ago, according to recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This look at the nation's dental health -- the largest of its kind in more than 25 years -- found that the number of kids age 2 to 5 with cavities increased to 28 percent during a five-year period ending in 2004. A decade earlier, that number was at 24 percent. There was some good news, though. The study found that cavities in school-age kids and teens have decreased.
Limiting sweets
Although there's no definitive cause for the spike in the number of kids with cavities, dentists have plenty of ideas. Too many sugary drinks and snacks offered to children throughout the day are among the biggest culprits. "It's not how much sugar kids are getting, it's how many times a day they're getting it," said Dr. Robert Collins, a Pike Creek pediatric dentist in practice with his father, Dale. Some dentists also say consumption of bottled water without added fluoride may be a factor in the increase of cavities. Parents of preschoolers often are flummoxed by the news that their little one has a cavity or two, Collins said. Their kids don't eat candy, they say. But they do tote around a bottle of juice or milk everywhere they go. And that means their teeth are being bombarded with sugary substances -- yes, even milk has natural sugars in it -- practically round the clock.
And for those kids -- or adults, for that matter -- who have a particular type of bacteria in their mouth that predisposes them to cavities, that sugar helps create an inviting environment for tooth decay. The bacteria, called Streptococcus mutans, can be found on tooth surfaces. When it interacts with sugars and some starches, it produces acids that can cause mineral loss from teeth. Cavities form when the mineral is eroded so much and for so long that the teeth can't properly heal. Most people don't realize the bacteria is transmissible between parents and children, such as by sharing silverware, rinsing a dropped pacifier in a parent's mouth or by kissing. In fact, if a parent or person caring for the child has active tooth decay, the child has a high chance of developing tooth decay, said Dr. Charlie Inga, director of the dental clinic at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, in Rockland. Good hygiene can help eliminate the bacteria from the mouth. It also helps to reduce the amount of time sugary food and drinks linger on the teeth. If juice is on the menu, restrict it to mealtimes because that's when the saliva in the mouth acts as a natural buffer for the teeth, Maher said. Mix the juice with water so it's not as sweet. Never put a child in bed with juice or milk to lull them to sleep, Inga said. For infants and toddlers who nurse or have a bottle before bed, parents should rinse their children's mouths out, either with a wet washcloth or small toothbrush.
"Think about it. If you spill apple juice on a table, you wipe it up because, if you don't, it will feel sticky for a week," Inga said. "That's what it does to the teeth as well."
Baby those teeth
For most babies, the first tooth erupts somewhere around six months. It's hard at that time for parents to think about taking their infant to the dentist, but that's exactly what they should do, at least within six months of that dental milestone. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, babies should have their first visit with a dentist by their first birthday. Pediatric dentists, who undergo two or three years of specialized pediatric training after dental school, are usually the only dentists who will see children that young. Starting kids early at the dentist not only helps them feel comfortable when they visit, it helps reinforce the importance of keeping their mouth healthy. "What we're trying to do is start a dental home for them," Maher said, noting that 30 percent of all children with baby teeth injure at least one of them at some point. "With more dental visits, there's less dental cavities." Unfortunately, Collins said, some parents think that baby teeth aren't as important as permanent teeth because they fall out. But that's hardly the case, considering that baby, or primary teeth, act as space maintainers for later teeth. "If teeth are lost early, it affects how permanent teeth come in," he said. The front teeth usually start popping around 5 or 6, but permanent back molars may not come in until 12. "That's a long time to put up with pain. It's a long time to go without teeth," he said.
Getting into the habit
At just 17 months, Holly Osman knows what a toothbrush is for. She points to it when she watches her older siblings, 4-year-old Hannah and 3-year-old Ricky, brush their teeth. It's a habit her mother, Elaine, wholeheartedly encourages, especially after big sister Hannah had to get two cavities filled when she was about 3 years old. Elaine Osman said she was shocked when her daughter's dentist told her about the cavities. Like many parents, she made sure her kids brushed their teeth daily. She let them brush their own teeth, but she followed up to get any missed spots. She even limited the amount of juice they drank by cutting it with water. "I was very upset," said Osman, who lives in Brandywine Hundred. "I asked the dentist, 'Is this normal?' " The dentist eased her mind by telling her that cavities have become increasingly common in kids that age. But after that, Osman was determined not to have a repeat performance. She cut back on fruit snacks -- loathed by dentists -- and she lessened the amount of juice she offered, diluting it with even more water. She's also making sure the kids brush their teeth twice a day, something they didn't always do before. Maher said that most kids don't develop manual dexterity until about 7 or 8, so it's important for parents to do the main job of brushing their kids' teeth. Electric or manual toothbrushes are fine. Brush near the gumline where the plaque accumulates. Kids over 2 can have a pea-sized dollop of toothpaste on their brush, but the real key is the brushing action. That's what removes the plaque more than the toothpaste, Maher said.
Helen Riley, executive director of St. Michael's School and Nursery in Wilmington, said teachers emphasize the importance of brushing and clean teeth with the children. When the school does its unit on the body, good oral hygiene is always included. But it's the parents who carry the most responsibility -- and the most sway -- with kids. Riley said. That includes choosing food and drinks low in sugar and teaching them the correct way to brush. "One of the things parents can do is take children with them when they're brushing their teeth," she said. "It's such an easy thing to model. And if you get little children to do it, they grow up with it." Even going to the dentist can be seen as a rite of passage for kids, showing them how big they are getting. And since many pediatric dentists show cartoons and give away balloons and prizes, fear of the dentist is a thing of the past for most kids, Riley said. If preschoolers do get cavities, most are filled in the office. Nitrous oxide can be used to settle down a nervous youngster, although some kids don't need it. Others undergo conscious sedation, in which they are awake during the procedure, but are not really aware of what's happening. For Elaine Osman, the process of getting her daughter's cavities filled -- one on a back, bottom molar and a second on the back of a front tooth -- was harder for her than Hannah. "They put a clown nose on her, which had laughing gas in it," she said. "Once they gave that, she was completely fine. When they were done, she got her gift from the office and we left. That was it."
Delaware is 81% fluoridated: NYSCOF
posted by Bill at
10:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home