Cultural shift needed to improve children’s dental health
The impact on developing adult teeth means the dental care and education provided to children and adolescents is critical, argues the British Dental Journal.
Improving the management of early childhood dental conditions – particularly tooth decay which can take years to detect – and their links to diet and obesity is essential to the long-term oral and general health of the population, but needs a cultural shift in attitude and behaviour to succeed.
The pattern of eating and drinking throughout the day has contributed to the current situation with tooth decay remaining one of the most prevalent disease conditions in the child population, and borne out by the 2008/2009 NHS oral health survey which found a third of 12-year-olds attending state schools in England had visible decay in their permanent teeth. More ....
