USA - Dental problems in young kids on the rise
Dental problems in young kids on the rise
By Steve Rock
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS KANSAS CITY, Mo. --All too often, pediatric dentist Paul Kittle peers into the mouths of his youngest patients and cringes at what he sees:
Teeth rotted off at the gum line. Abscesses. Draining pus.
And lots of cavities.
"Sometimes," he said, "I look in there and I go, 'Oh, my goodness.'"
Dentists nationwide are saying the same thing.
According to a comprehensive study of the nation's dental health released this year by the National Center for Health Statistics, our children's teeth are rotting.
"Absolutely," Kittle said. "All of us in the field feel there's been a definite increase in cavities and other problems."
The statistics back that up, at least for children ages 2 to 5. According to the report, based on data compiled from 1999 to 2004, nearly 28 percent of children in that age range had at least one cavity in their primary, or baby, teeth. That represented an increase from the 1988-94 data, in which slightly more than 24 percent had cavities.
Before the most recent report, there had been no real change in the prevalence of tooth decay in baby teeth among children in that age group in 20-plus years.
"We were surprised," said the study's lead author, Bruce Dye of the National Center for Health Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This is really the first documented increase in a long, long time.
"Four percentage points represents tens of thousands of children in the United States."
Granted, not all the news was bad. The report shows, for example, that tooth decay in the permanent teeth of children ages 6 to 11 dropped from 25 percent to 21 percent. And in youths ages 12 to 19, it dropped from 68 percent to 59 percent.
But in that younger set, the trend is clear. There are many theories, though no concrete answers as to why. Start with too much sugar.
"In our busy lifestyles, we're driving around all the time," said pediatric dentist Jill Jenkins. "Kids are carrying a cup of juice and fruit snacks everywhere we go. ... If a kid is taking a drink every five minutes all day long, that tooth is basically bathing in acid."
Kittle said, "Probably my No. 1 enemy in the world is apple juice."
Kids also are drinking less tap water, relying instead on the bottled water or juice boxes that are tucked in the refrigerator door. That means they're getting less fluoride, an element added to water that helps prevent tooth decay.
Dye thinks dietary habits play a significant role, too, in our ever-more-transient society.
"Parents have less time to prepare meals for their children," he said. "As a society, we've gravitated toward convenience. We're eating more pre-prepared meals, pre-prepared snacks."
And brushing our children's teeth less, perhaps.
As the hustle and bustle of another busy day winds down, experts suspect, parents too often let their kids skip brushing their teeth before trundling off to bed. Or they let them do it alone, even though the youngsters might not know the best way to do it.
"This is an early warning that the way we are transferring eating habits and oral hygiene care to our children is not working," Dye said. "Parents need to be more actively involved with their children -- guiding them, helping them make healthy eating choices, helping them brush their teeth."
Kim Smith of Wellsville, Kan., does just that and recently took her four sons to pediatric dentist David Cobb.
"You only get the set of teeth you're given," Smith said. "It's important to take care of them."
The consequences of failing to do so can be serious, Dye and others said.
While it's true that those baby teeth eventually will come out, it's unhealthy for them to be littered with cavities. Untreated decay can spread, creating a domino effect that no 4-year-old should have to endure.
"It's going to turn into an abscess," Jenkins said. "It's going to turn into an infection. And it's going to turn into pain."
Fighting cavitiesExperts say parents can help their infants and young children avoid cavities and tooth decay by:
• Not putting anything in their bedtime bottles or sippy cups except water.
• Brushing their gums with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush even before the first tooth appears.
• Taking them to a dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday.
• Using fluoridated toothpaste at age 2 or 3.
• Keeping them on a balanced diet and not letting them "graze" on snacks and sugary drinks throughout the day.
• Keeping regular checkups with their dentist.
NYSCOF: Kansas City, MO, is fluoridated:
By Steve Rock
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS KANSAS CITY, Mo. --All too often, pediatric dentist Paul Kittle peers into the mouths of his youngest patients and cringes at what he sees:
Teeth rotted off at the gum line. Abscesses. Draining pus.
And lots of cavities.
"Sometimes," he said, "I look in there and I go, 'Oh, my goodness.'"
Dentists nationwide are saying the same thing.
According to a comprehensive study of the nation's dental health released this year by the National Center for Health Statistics, our children's teeth are rotting.
"Absolutely," Kittle said. "All of us in the field feel there's been a definite increase in cavities and other problems."
The statistics back that up, at least for children ages 2 to 5. According to the report, based on data compiled from 1999 to 2004, nearly 28 percent of children in that age range had at least one cavity in their primary, or baby, teeth. That represented an increase from the 1988-94 data, in which slightly more than 24 percent had cavities.
Before the most recent report, there had been no real change in the prevalence of tooth decay in baby teeth among children in that age group in 20-plus years.
"We were surprised," said the study's lead author, Bruce Dye of the National Center for Health Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This is really the first documented increase in a long, long time.
"Four percentage points represents tens of thousands of children in the United States."
Granted, not all the news was bad. The report shows, for example, that tooth decay in the permanent teeth of children ages 6 to 11 dropped from 25 percent to 21 percent. And in youths ages 12 to 19, it dropped from 68 percent to 59 percent.
But in that younger set, the trend is clear. There are many theories, though no concrete answers as to why. Start with too much sugar.
"In our busy lifestyles, we're driving around all the time," said pediatric dentist Jill Jenkins. "Kids are carrying a cup of juice and fruit snacks everywhere we go. ... If a kid is taking a drink every five minutes all day long, that tooth is basically bathing in acid."
Kittle said, "Probably my No. 1 enemy in the world is apple juice."
Kids also are drinking less tap water, relying instead on the bottled water or juice boxes that are tucked in the refrigerator door. That means they're getting less fluoride, an element added to water that helps prevent tooth decay.
Dye thinks dietary habits play a significant role, too, in our ever-more-transient society.
"Parents have less time to prepare meals for their children," he said. "As a society, we've gravitated toward convenience. We're eating more pre-prepared meals, pre-prepared snacks."
And brushing our children's teeth less, perhaps.
As the hustle and bustle of another busy day winds down, experts suspect, parents too often let their kids skip brushing their teeth before trundling off to bed. Or they let them do it alone, even though the youngsters might not know the best way to do it.
"This is an early warning that the way we are transferring eating habits and oral hygiene care to our children is not working," Dye said. "Parents need to be more actively involved with their children -- guiding them, helping them make healthy eating choices, helping them brush their teeth."
Kim Smith of Wellsville, Kan., does just that and recently took her four sons to pediatric dentist David Cobb.
"You only get the set of teeth you're given," Smith said. "It's important to take care of them."
The consequences of failing to do so can be serious, Dye and others said.
While it's true that those baby teeth eventually will come out, it's unhealthy for them to be littered with cavities. Untreated decay can spread, creating a domino effect that no 4-year-old should have to endure.
"It's going to turn into an abscess," Jenkins said. "It's going to turn into an infection. And it's going to turn into pain."
Fighting cavitiesExperts say parents can help their infants and young children avoid cavities and tooth decay by:
• Not putting anything in their bedtime bottles or sippy cups except water.
• Brushing their gums with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush even before the first tooth appears.
• Taking them to a dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than their first birthday.
• Using fluoridated toothpaste at age 2 or 3.
• Keeping them on a balanced diet and not letting them "graze" on snacks and sugary drinks throughout the day.
• Keeping regular checkups with their dentist.
NYSCOF: Kansas City, MO, is fluoridated:
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