Did You Know… the most common chronic disease that affects children are cavities, also known and dental caries?
Sadly, it’s true. Approximately 1 of 5 children aged 5-11 has at least one untreated tooth with a cavity. Dental caries are 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than allergic rhinitis (a.k.a. Hay fever) in children. What’s even more sad is that cavities are pretty much 100% preventable.
Along with daily home brushing, flossing and regular dental cleanings, fluoride treatment fills in the gaps in cavity prevention which is why its use is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Here in the United States, fluoride is available in many sources, including many foods and public water sources.
Fluoride recommendations to prevent cavities include:
- Fluoridated toothpaste for all children as soon as their first tooth comes in.
- Just the size of a grain of rice of fluoride toothpaste should be used twice a day during brushing until age 3 years.
- After the age of 3, a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste may be used. **Parents should supervise and dispense toothpaste for children until about age 7 or when advised by the dentist
- Fluoride rinses available at the store are NOT recommended for children younger than 6 years old because they may swallow too much fluoride by accident.