February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Local health leaders are pointing to the impact of dental health on a child’s overall development and wellbeing and inequity that exists among families in the county and nationwide.
Nationally, nearly one in five children under the age of 5 experience tooth decay; in addition, nearly half of children aged 6-11 in the nation are also affected by tooth decay, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
The Ohio Department of Health’s oral health program conducted a screening survey of third-grade students in 65 elementary schools across the state. Nearly 3,300 third-grade students received a dental screening, according to the program’s 2022 report.
Results from the screening survey show that nearly 20% of those students had at least one untreated cavity. Nearly 48% of the surveyed students also had a history of tooth decay, meaning they had at least one filling, crown, untreated cavity or tooth extracted due to decay.
Pinson said preventative care is crucial to maintaining oral health.
“It’s important to start early and have the entire family involved in the development of the child,” she said.
Baby teeth begin emerging around 4 to 5 months of age, said Myers. As soon as the first tooth comes in, she recommends using a smear of toothpaste and brushing a baby’s teeth in the morning and at night.
A smear of toothpaste is roughly the size of a grain of rice, she said.
Pinson and Myers said they often hear from parents that decay in baby teeth isn’t too alarming given they will be replaced by adult teeth. Both said baby teeth are important to a young child’s development, such as with their eating, speech and more. Decayed baby teeth can also cause issues for their future teeth.
“You don’t want infected baby teeth to cause infected adult teeth,” Pinson said.
Access to routine oral health services results in better oral health, too. Myers recommended that infants see a dentist on or before their first birthday.
Children living in poverty are also twice as likely to go untreated for their dental health needs than their more affluent peers, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Chloe Wong at Rocking Horse Community Health Center said many barriers exist for people accessing health care, including lack of funds, unreliable transportation, rigid work schedules, lack of insurance and a small pool of dentists with offices in the area.
Lack of access to nutritious food can also impact oral health.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program helps fund the purchase of juice for many families. Although fruit juices have multiple vitamins and other nutrients that benefit children, they are also packed with sugar, Wong said.
She recommends serving fruit juice only with food and allowing children to drink water between meals as a way of giving their teeth a break.
Lack of knowledge of what food labels are telling consumers also can contribute to dental health issues, too.
“Labels that say ‘no sugar added’ do not mean they’re sugar free,” Wong said.
Tooth decay can also impact a child’s self-esteem and school attendance. Wong has seen patients missing school due to tooth-related pain, and has also heard of sleep-related issues among her patients.
“We really stress prevention,” she said.
Credit: STEPHANIE FLAHERTY
Credit: STEPHANIE FLAHERTY
About the Author
