Dental diseases common in children and adolescents

Caries is the most common chronic disease on planet.3 For children and adolescents, caries five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Caries entirely prevented. However, when caries is present and ignored, it is often painful and expensive to treat.

Washington 2010 data show that about 40 percent of the Head Start/ECEAP schoolchildren and kindergartners and 58% of third-graders were some caries experience. These numbers are significantly higher than the national targets for 30% and 49% respectively. Students from racial and ethnic minorities, have more dental diseases and more limited access to health care than white students.

Gum disease (gingivitis or gum bleeding is a common infection among most children and adolescents. Gingivitis causes of gum tissue to swell, become red, and bleed easily. If left untreated can eventually move on to a more serious form of gum disease. This can be prevented with regular routine of brushing and flossing and the absence of Smoking.

The good news is that caries and gum disease can be prevented at home and at school, through measures such as good nutrition, dental hygiene, fluorine, sealants, not Smoking and leading a healthy lifestyle.

What to do to prevent dental diseases

• Eat a healthy diet: avoid sugar and starchy foods between meals.
• Drink water that contains fluoride in the recommended levels.
• Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
• The floss between the teeth once a day (with the help of parents to 8 years of age).
• It is important to have dental sealants applied to the first and second permanent teeth in children from 6 to 12 years.
• Avoid Smoking and illicit drug trafficking that can cause tooth decay, gum disease, oral cancer and other dental problems.
• Use mouthguard and helmets when I go in for sports, to prevent damage to the teeth.

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