Study says tooth decay up among children ages 2-5

By Kyung M. Song

Published: November 18, 2008

SEATTLE — Nearly three out of 10 American children ages 2 to 5 have visible tooth decay, according to figures released last year by the National Center for Health Statistics, based on surveys taken between 1999 and 2004.

Dr. Joel Berg checks 2-year-old Kevin Torres Escobedo’s teeth in Seattle. Dental decay is rising among U.S. preschoolers. PHOTO BY MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE

Advertisement

That’s a sizable jump from the 24 percent rate in the previous survey, taken between 1988 and 1994.

In older kids and adolescents, on the other hand, dental decay declined during the most recent period.

The worrisome state of oral health, especially for the youngest children, was the topic of a national summit of the American Academy of Pediatrics last week in Chicago. The event was chaired by Dr. Wendy Mouradian, a physician who teaches pediatrics and pediatric dentistry at the University of Washington.

The pediatrics academy has named oral health one of its top priorities for 2008, along with mental health and care for foster children and other special-needs care.

Mouradian said early dental decay has a host of causes: Parents too often neglect care for baby teeth; poor and uninsured children receive much less dental care than their peers; and a third of the U.S. water supply lacks fluoride, perhaps the single biggest defense against decay.

In response, pediatricians and family doctors are increasingly bridging the historical split between medicine and dentistry. The American Association of Medical Colleges has urged better oral-health training for medical students.

Since 2002, the Washington Dental Service Foundation has taught 2,000 doctors, medical assistants and other health professionals across the state to apply fluoride varnishes during well-baby checkups.

Relying on doctors as the first sentries against dental decay isn’t ideal, said Berg, who also is director of dental medicine at Seattle Children’s hospital.

But dentists realize that many young children see doctors numerous times before they ever recline in a dental chair. "A lot of parents think it’s OK to wait until age 3 or 4 before they have a first dental visit,” Berg said.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see a dentist by their first birthday.

McClatchy Tribune Information Service

Your thoughts!