USA - 2 in 5 children experience 'baby bottle tooth decay,' CDC says
2 in 5 children experience 'baby bottle tooth decay,' CDC says
By Erin Meyer, Chicago Tribune reporter
January 4, 2012
A leading culprit in the development of childhood tooth decay is a baby's bottle, dentists say.
Tooth decay, often referred to in children as baby bottle tooth decay, remains the most common chronic disease in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of children starting kindergarten have one or more decayed teeth.
"This disease is 100 percent preventable," said Indru Punwani, head of the pediatric dentistry department at the University of Illinois Medical Center. "Don't put the baby to bed with a bottle."
To comfort a fussy baby, too many parents put children to bed with bottles filled with sugary substances, which can include fruit juices, formula, milk and even breast milk. Sugar feeds bacteria, and the bacteria produce acids, which attack the child's teeth.
A child's baby teeth, which typically start to appear about six months after birth, are at risk for tooth decay as soon as they emerge. If the child finds comfort when left with a bottle at night, Punwani recommends only water.
Childhood tooth decay also begins with cavity-causing bacteria passed from a caregiver to the infant through saliva. When, for example, a mother shares a spoon with her baby, bacteria from the mother's mouth can transfer to the baby's mouth, where it thrives.
When left untreated, tooth decay can so severely damage the teeth of infants and toddlers that dentists have no choice but to extract them.
By Erin Meyer, Chicago Tribune reporter
January 4, 2012
A leading culprit in the development of childhood tooth decay is a baby's bottle, dentists say.
Tooth decay, often referred to in children as baby bottle tooth decay, remains the most common chronic disease in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of children starting kindergarten have one or more decayed teeth.
"This disease is 100 percent preventable," said Indru Punwani, head of the pediatric dentistry department at the University of Illinois Medical Center. "Don't put the baby to bed with a bottle."
To comfort a fussy baby, too many parents put children to bed with bottles filled with sugary substances, which can include fruit juices, formula, milk and even breast milk. Sugar feeds bacteria, and the bacteria produce acids, which attack the child's teeth.
A child's baby teeth, which typically start to appear about six months after birth, are at risk for tooth decay as soon as they emerge. If the child finds comfort when left with a bottle at night, Punwani recommends only water.
Childhood tooth decay also begins with cavity-causing bacteria passed from a caregiver to the infant through saliva. When, for example, a mother shares a spoon with her baby, bacteria from the mother's mouth can transfer to the baby's mouth, where it thrives.
When left untreated, tooth decay can so severely damage the teeth of infants and toddlers that dentists have no choice but to extract them.
posted by Bill at
9:52 AM
3 Comments:
Wouldn't you think that with most of the country drinking fluoridated water for 30 to 60 years, children would not have cavities? Only if it actually helped teeth, which it doesn't.
Read the truth produced in the best scientific information on fluoridation here: (www.fluoridealert.org). You will see a petition signed by almost 4000 professionals, including hundreds of dentists, hundreds of doctors, and other medical researchers calling on governments everywhere to stop fluoridation.
There are many large scientific studies there to show that drinking fluoridated water has no positive effect on cavity reduction and to show that it causes cancer, thyroid damage, broken hips from brittle bones, lowered IQ and other health problems.
By
jwillie6, at 08 January, 2012
As an adult, you have to be extra careful when sharing your spoon and utensil to your children. A child's teeth are more fragile compared to an adult's, and they need extra care. Providing children with separate utensils is a good start to having good oral hygiene.
By
Bianca Jackson, at 17 January, 2012
It is easy to prevent baby and baby bottle tooth decay. One of the ways is for the parent to not taste the food with the same spoon that she is feeding the baby with. we should consult dentist as soon as possible. great post.
By
andy, at 30 January, 2012
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