A comprehensive survey on early-childhood dental problems in Delhi has found that 60% children brush only once a day instead of twice a day as advised by their dentists. Also, 85% of them have been found to be using toothpastes which do not contain fluoride.
What is even worse is the fact that 82% children go for a dental check-up only when there is a problem.
The findings of the survey has been released by the Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences here on Friday.
The findings were released at the first biennial conference of the South Asian Association of Pediatric Dentistry (SAAPD), which started in the Capital.
About the survey
“For the first time a survey of such magnitude on evaluating the level of awareness on early-childhood dental problems has been done by us. The findings of this survey will give us a direction to map the existing level of awareness on dental health among parents and children and help us in intervention,” said Dr. Gyanendra Kumar, organising secretary, SAAPD and associate professor, Department of Periodontics & Preventive Dentistry, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences.
Parents of children below 14 years, who visited the department during the last two months were interviewed. As many as 1,000 parents were interviewed through a questionnaire.
Right toothpaste
Talking about what toothpaste a child should use, Dr. Kumar said that toothpaste for children should contain fluoride as it prevents development of dental caries, which is very commonly seen in children now days.
“The toothpaste for children should contain lubricants and fluoride, which help in preventing oral problems,” he said.
Doctors’ advice
The survey found that although dental diseases can be easily prevented, most parents do not visit a dentist every six months, as is recommended by all dentists.
“This leads to oral disease in children. We advise parents to take their children to the dentist every six months to prevent dental problems,” added Dr. Kumar.
The survey also noted that 40% children were suffering from malocclusion (misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the two dental arches when they approach each other as the jaws close) due to their habit of sucking the thumb.
Causes
Dentists also noted that some of the most common causes of childhood cavities are diet and oral home care. Fast foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugar develop cavities. However, with proper dental hygiene, tooth decay is nearly 100% preventable, they added.
