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OPEN WIDE: Oral Health Training for Health Professionals

Module 4: What to Do and How to Do It

4.6 What is Oral Health Anticipatory Guidance?

Anticipatory guidance helps families understand what to expect during their infant’s or child’s current and approaching stage of development. Primary care professionals, other health professionals, and early childhood professionals can provide anticipatory guidance on oral health to promote oral health to children and families. With this information, parents can help prevent or reduce tooth decay in their infants and children.

For parents of infants and children, anticipatory guidance topics include oral development, tooth eruption, gum/tooth cleaning, appropriate use of fluoride, bottle use, and feeding and eating practices. Because bacteria (Streptococcus mutans [S. mutans]) can be transmitted from a parent, especially the mother or another intimate caregiver, to an infant or child through contact, anticipatory guidance should also be provided to pregnant women, new mothers, and other intimate caregivers (see Module 1, section 1.3).

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