Highlights
Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez speaks about the importance of perinatal and infant oral health as well as early childhood caries (ECC). Currently, in the U.S., programs and clinicians are focused on vulnerable populations as determined by age, region and risk factors. The greatest disparities in oral health occur in children, the elderly and pregnant women. As such globally, many successful programs have been created to educate and inform pregnant women of the link between diet, nutrition and ECC and their newborn babies.
Early childhood caries continues to be an issue even with a large amount of information and evidence. This is primarily due to behavioural problems. ECC is a chronic infectious disease, but is completely preventable. Resources should be allocated more towards prevention of ECC than restoration. Currently, there is not enough data to understand the burden of disease in Canada but, it is highest amongst First Nation children.
Considerations for optimizing perinatal-infant oral health and reducing the risk of ECC:
- Ensure that children are seen for their first visit before they turn 1 year old or as soon as the first tooth erupts in the mouth or whichever comes first. \
- Train general dentists to increase their comfort level with very young children.
- Medical-dental integration and cooperation to screen, counsel and work with patients and their families to ensure good overall health
- Work with grassroots community organizations to engage and empower mothers to understand the importance of oral health care and help change behaviours that may compromise children’s health.
Additional Resources