Kids' Dental Health Month Features Free Oral Health Care
February 10, 2005
Parents and kids across the state will have something to smile about this month as oral health-care providers help celebrate national Children's Dental Health Month.
Members of the Montana Dental Association will offer dental screenings, educational services, and free care in their private practices and at schools and public health clinics across the state during the third annual Give Kids a Smile campaign. More than 200 volunteer dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and office staff are scheduled to volunteer their time and services.
During the 2003-2004 school year, dental health and school professionals around the state conducted more than 20,000 free oral health screenings at 139 schools in 88 Montana communities, according to Cheri Seed, oral health consultant for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
"This is a significant contribution compared with other states, especially given these are primarily volunteer activities," Seed said.
Screenings are designed to identify oral health problems in children as early as possible to facilitate not only better overall health, but better learning.
"It's impossible for a child to learn with a toothache," Seed noted. "When children have oral health problems, they're also likely to have trouble concentrating or miss a lot of school. They may develop permanent disabilities that affect their ability to learn and grow."
Dental decay is the most chronic childhood disease. It's five times more common than asthma, and yet it is preventable, Seed said.
" Fluoride is an excellent defense in reducing the risk of dental decay," she added. "It can be applied in various ways through public water supplies, dental visits, and the use of fluoride toothpaste to reduce cavities for a lifetime."
Every week, DPHHS provides free fluoride mouth rinse to about 41,000 Montana schoolchildren in areas of Montana that do not have access to optimally fluoridated drinking water.
A common misunderstanding is that bad teeth are hereditary, according to Seed.
"We are not born with the germ that causes dental decay," she said. "We now know that the bacteria that causes dental decay, Streptococcus mutans, is passed on to children from their mothers or other caregivers, usually before the child turns two."
Seed stressed that parents and caregivers should take care of their own teeth and visit the dentist regularly to reduce the risk of passing the germ on to their children. She offered the following additional tips to parents:
- Never allow your baby to suck on a bottle or sipper cup filled with milk or juice throughout the day or during nap or sleep time.
- Clean your baby's teeth twice a day with gauze or a washcloth wetted only with water, using a gentle circular motion.
- Take your child to the dentist for the first time about six months after he or she gets the first tooth, usually sometime between 1 and 1½ years of age.
- Once your child is two, begin using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste twice a day during brushing to keep tooth enamel hard and resistant to decay.
- Floss your child's teeth daily as soon as teeth grow side by side, and schedule regular dental visits.
- Continue to supervise brushing until your child has the manual dexterity to dress and tie his or her own shoes.
- Limit sugary snacks and beverages at all ages.
For more information about children's dental health, contact Cheri Seed at 406-444-0276 or cseed@mt.gov.
Page last updated: 06/15/2006
