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One
of the most important ways for health
professionals to ensure that infants
and young children enjoy optimal oral
health is by performing a risk assessment
to identify those at risk for oral
health problems, including tooth decay,
periodontal disease, malocclusion,
and injury.
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By age 6 months, every infant should
begin to receive oral health risk assessments performed
by a health professional. One of the most important
ways for health professionals to ensure that infants
and young children enjoy optimal oral health is by
performing a risk assessment to identify those at
risk for oral health problems, including tooth decay,
periodontal disease, malocclusion,
and injury. (See
Module 2, section 2.2.)
Risk assessment of infants and young children for
oral health problems is based on the premise that
all infants and children are not equally likely to
develop such problems. Performing a risk assessment
for infants and young children can help health professionals
develop plans to meet each infant’s or young
child’s preventive and treatment needs. |