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Maternal and Child Health Bureau logoA Health Professionals Guide to Pediatric Oral Health Management
HomeModuleModule 1: An Introduction to Infants' and Young Children's Oral HealthModule 2: Managing Infants' and Young Children's Oral HealthModule 3: Oral Conditions and AbnormalitiesModule 4: Prevention of Oral DiseaseModule 5: Non-Nutritive Sucking HabitsModule 6: Oral InjuryModule 7: Infants and Young Children with Special Health Care NeedsContentsGlossaryEvaluationHelp
Module 1: An Introduction to Infants and Young Childrens Oral Health
Module Contents
Overview
1.1 The Health Professional’s Role in Promoting Oral Health
1.2 Trends in Oral Health

Access to Care
Tooth Decay (current page)
Untreated Tooth Decay
Fluoride
Malocclusion
Injury and Violence
Children with Special Health Care Needs
1.3 Oral Health, General Health, and Well-Being
Key Points
Post-Test
References
Additional Resources


1.2 Trends in Oral Health, continued

Tooth Decay  (See Module 3, section 3.5, Dental Caries.)

Note
notepad graphicDental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease — five times more common than asthma.

   
  • Dental caries (the disease process leading to tooth decay) is the most common chronic childhood disease — five times more common than asthma.[3]

  • An Arizona study found that among children enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children; Head Start; or child care centers; more than 6 percent of 1-year-olds, 22 percent of 2-year-olds, 35 percent of 3-year-olds, and 49 percent of 4-year-olds had visible tooth decay.[7]

  • Analysis of data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1988-1994) indicates that 8 percent of 2-year-olds had at least one decayed or filled tooth and that by age 5, 40 percent of children were affected.[8]
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logo: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau