Baby Teeth

June 14, 2011

Even though a baby’s teeth will eventually fall out, experts say caring for a child’s teeth at an early age can prevent harmful dental infections and even keep their teeth healthier into adulthood. Experts consider tooth decay the most chronic infectious disease among children and if left untreated, it can cause eating, speaking, and learning problems and other health problems. As part of a new grant, University of Florida researchers are working to figure out whether programs to encourage medical doctors to provide fluoride treatments to children, dental education to parents, and referrals to dentists are worth it. Researchers say not all parents know when they should take their kids to the dentist for the first visit.

Dr. Frank Catalanotto/UF dental researcher: “You want to have a child seen by a dentist before the first year of age, ideally at six months of age when the first tooth comes into the mouth. So we can give the parent and caregivers the right information about tooth brushing, about diet and about what they have to do keep the children’s teeth healthy.”

Including Florida, 33 state Medicaid programs have established policies to recruit medical providers in the fight for good dental health, but there is limited evidence about whether these programs actually work.

Dr. Frank Catalanotto/UF dental researcher: “The earlier you can get the advice to the parents, the earlier you can start to get fluoride therapy onto these children’s teeth, the better you chances at preventing a cavity from starting.”

About half of all children will be affected by tooth decay before the age of five.