February is National Children’s Dental Health Month
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) which began as a one-day event in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 3, 1941. The American Dental Association held the first national observance of Children’s Dental Health Day on February 8, 1949. The single day observance became a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long observance known today as National Children’s Dental Health Month. Since 1941, the observance has grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program. NCDHM messages reach thousands of people in communities across the country and at numerous armed services bases. Dentists in their own communities often have posters provided by the ADA and AAPD, coloring and essay contests, health fairs, free dental screenings, museum exhibits, dentists and other dental team members visit classrooms and have dental office tours. My office reaches out to numerous schools for presentations for the students to learn about better eating habits and oral health. Every February we have dental screenings at Edventure Children’s Museum for Children’s Dental Health Month in cooperation with the South Carolina Dental Association.
Each February, National Children's Dental Health Month with the help from the dental community raises awareness about the importance of oral health and continues the fight against childhood tooth decay. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. Tooth decay is a top chronic infectious disease among children – more common than asthma and childhood obesity. In fact, about half of children in the U.S. are affected by tooth decay by the time they enter school leading to over 34 million school hours lost each year due to dental problems. Tooth decay is totally preventable.
Parents of children with special health care needs face a unique challenge in that their children are at an even higher risk of developing oral health conditions. According to this study, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2787477/), 81 percent of children with special health care needs require some kind of preventive dental care. In addition, dental care remains the most frequently cited unmet health need for children with special health care needs. On the average special need patients represent approximately 25 percent of a pediatric dental practice caseload.
Maintaining good oral hygiene can become difficult due to a variety of reasons such as accompanying health issues or poor dexterity. In partnership with a pediatric dentist, parents can work to develop a dental home to ensure lifelong positive oral health habits.
Informing parents with proper oral hygiene and education, tooth decay can be prevented. Baby teeth are vulnerable to decay from their very first appearance, brushing your child’s teeth for two minutes two times a day, and floss as soon as the teeth start touching.
Another important step in childhood oral health is establishing a dental home. A dental home is an ongoing relationship between a dentist and a patient family to includes all aspects of oral health care delivered in an easily accessible and family-centered way. You should find your dental home no later than your child’s first birthday or when their first tooth appears. Finding the right dental home will ensure you are setting your children up for a lifetime of positive oral health habits.
