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Although the incidence of cavities in American children has declined overall since 1970, some children remain profoundly at risk.
An updated fact sheet about early childhood caries, "Promoting Awareness, Preventing Pain: Facts on Early Childhood Caries," is now available from the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/.
The fact sheet points out that:
- Among children from families with incomes at or below the federal poverty level, the amounts of caries in the primary teeth remain unchanged from the early 1970s to the early 1990s.
- For children ages two to five, 75% of caries is found in 8% of the population.
- Children ages two to five who have not had a dental visit within the past 12 months are more likely to experience caries in primary teeth than children who have.
- Mexican-American children ages two to five are more likely than their non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white peers to experience caries in primary teeth.
- For children ages two to five from families with incomes above the federal poverty level, the likelihood of experiencing caries in primary teeth is significantly greater among those who do not eat breakfast daily or who eat fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day than among those who do.
The fact sheet also offers suggestions to prevent early childhood caries:
- Fluoridated water, as well as fluoride toothpaste and dietary supplements can help prevent the disease.
- Encourage good dietary and oral hygiene practices, and develop educational programs for parents as well as children.
- Provide access to preventive and restorative dental care. Children diagnosed with early childhood caries may be more susceptible to future caries development.
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