Anticipatory Guidance (continued)

Injury Prevention

• Being aware that injuries to the head, face, and mouth are common among infants.
• Learning how to prevent oral injuries and how to handle oral emergencies. Because of the danger of damaging the underlying permanent teeth, never attempting to reinsert an avulsed (lost) primary tooth. It is impossible to relocate the tooth accurately, and there is danger of pushing it too far into the soft alveolar bone.
• Always keeping one hand on an infant on high places such as changing tables, beds, sofas, or chairs.
• Using a rear-facing infant-only or convertible car safety seat that is reclined at the angle specified by the manufacturer in the back seat of the vehicle at all times. Infants should ride rear facing until they are at least age 1 and weigh at least 20 lbs. Most infant-only car safety seats accommodate infants up to 20 to 22 lbs, and many convertible seats allow infants up to 33 to 35 lbs to ride rear facing.
• Not placing an infant at any age in a shopping cart. Instead, consider using a stroller or a backpack or frontpack while shopping with an infant.
• Using safety locks on cabinets. Keeping all poisonous substances, medicines, cleaning agents, health and beauty aids, and paints and paint solvents locked in a safe place.
• Keeping pet food and dishes out of reach. Not permitting the infant to approach the pet while it is eating.
• Keeping appliances and dangling telephone, electric, blind, and drapery cords out of reach.
• Locking doors or using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, and using safety locks and safety devices on windows above the ground floor.
• Supervising the infant on the stairs or furniture.
• Not giving toys small enough to be placed in the mouth. Making sure that toys do not have parts that can become detached. Keeping toys with small parts or sharp edges out of reach.
• Making sure that playgrounds are carefully maintained and that equipment is in good condition. All playground equipment should be surrounded by a soft surface (e.g., fine, loose sand; wood chips; wood mulch) or by rubber mats manufactured for this use.
• Supervising the infant on playground equipment. Making sure infants play only on developmentally appropriate equipment.
• Making sure that toys are soft (e.g., balls not made with leather or hard materials).
• Not using an infant walker with wheels.
• Providing the infant’s caregivers with the dentist’s emergency phone contacts, and ensuring that the caregivers know how to handle all emergencies.