How can oral injuries be prevented?
Injuries to the head, face, and mouth are common among infants and children. While not every oral injury is preventable, in many cases, oral injuries can be avoided. The following tips can help prevent oral injuries, and, in many cases, other childhood injuries as well.
Tips to help prevent oral injuries among infants and children include
• Keep one hand on infants and toddlers in high places such as changing tables, beds, sofas, or chairs.
• Supervise infants and toddlers when they are on the stairs or on furniture.
• Lock doors or use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, and use safety locks and safety devices on windows above the ground floor.
• Prevent infants and children from chewing on ice, pencils, or other hard objects.
• Keep small objects that infants or children may put in their mouths off the floor.
• Teach children not to walk or run with objects (for example, eating utensils, drinking straws, or sippy cups) in their mouths.
• Make sure that toys are soft (for example, balls made with soft rather than hard materials).
• Supervise infants and children on playground equipment such as teeter-totters, swings, jungle gyms, monkey bars, or other climbing structures.
• Teach children to not push, especially when they are around drinking fountains.
• Make sure that children wear bicycle helmets when riding bicycles, tricycles, or scooters.
References
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Emergency Care. http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/content/ecare.html.
Casamassimo P, Holt K, eds. 2004. Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health-Pocket Guide. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Health Oral Health Resource Center. http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/BFOHPocketGuide.pdf.
Holt K, Barzel R. 2003. A Health Professional's Guide to Pediatric Oral Health Management. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Health Oral Health Resource Center. http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PediatricOH/index.htm.
James Bowman Associates. 1998. Safety First: Preventing and Managing Childhood Injuries-Training Guides for the Head Start Learning Community. Washington, DC: Head Start Bureau. http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/safety_first.
South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina Healthy Schools 2005. Oral Health Supplemental Curriculum Resource. Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina Healthy Schools. http://www.mchoralhealth.org/Materials/Multiples/SC.htm.
