Tooth Decay Among Children Hurting their Education?

New studies are showing that poor oral health, tooth decay, and tooth pain are putting some children at risk for falling behind in school. It is widely believe d that many children, regardless of socioeconomic conditions, are not receiving routine dental care on a regular basis from a dentist or hygienist. It seems lik e good dental care takes a back seat at times in many families lives for various reasons. The study recently conducted and published in the American Journal of Public Hea lth examined close to 1,500 socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary and high school students in the Los Angeles area. They then matched their oral health to their academic achievement and attendance records. In previous studies, research ers found that about 75% of disadvantaged children in Los Angeles county area ha d some level of tooth decay. In this study, children who reported having tooth pain were 4x ve a low grade point average when compared to children without sults also found that the tooth pain also resulted in a higher s, as well as more missed work for parents. This leads to lost well as lost pay for parents and the family. What can Parents Do to Avoid this? Good oral hygiene must begin as soon as the child s first teeth erupt into the mouth . Many of these tips take just a little time and patience to facilitate good ora l hygiene. The following are some tips for parents to maintain their children s teet h: -Proper brushing. Many parents leave the tooth brushing up to their kids when th ey are as little as 2 years old. Parents and caregivers need to brush their chil d s teeth, and then monitor that their children are brushing properly using a fluori de (as soon as they are old enough to spit and not swallow) toothpaste. Toothbru shing can remove up to 60% of the plaque, bacteria, and food debris from mouth . -Flossing. Yes, Flossing. Children can floss and in fact when they get in the ha bit as a child they have that habit for life. There are children s flossers which ma ke it easier for them to perform themselves but again parents need to instruct, demonstrate, and monitor the job they are doing. -Use a disclosing solution. A disclosing solution is a great tool to show what a reas a child might be missing. It is effective in adults as well. It simply is a dye that colors the plaque remaining in your mouth. After you brush, you rinse with the disclosing solution to see what you have missed, then remove the remain ing plaque and the color from your teeth. You are able to visually inspect how e ffective your hygiene techniques. It is a great learning tool, and it is highly effective. -Rinse with an anti-cavity rinse. Children need fluoride more so than adults due to the developing teeth. A good example of this is ACT fluoride rinse. It comes in many flavors and is easy to use. There are also prescription fluoride rinses that are swallowed after rinsing to strengthen developing teeth. These rinses a re only available through your dentist or pediatrician. DO NOT swallow over the counter fluoride rinses or toothpaste, it is harmful to both adults and children in this improper concentration. -Avoiding or moderating sugars. Let s face it children love their sweets from fruit roll ups to gummy bears to fruit juice. To avoid tooth decay we must modify that behavior and if they are to have these items have them brush and rinse soon aft more likely to ha oral pain. The re amount of absence classroom time as

er so the sugars do not have time to linger in their mouths. Conclusion Tooth Decay and Tooth Pain can be avoided or at the very least limited with prop er dental hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. Remember it is far cheaper to see your dentist regularly for routine dental examinations and professional c leanings than to show up in pain. 2012, Marielaina Perrone DDS. All rights reserved. Henderson Cosmetic Dentist