What is paediatric dentistry (pedodontics)? Pedodontics, that is, paediatric dentistry, is the branch of dentistry that diagnoses diseases of the teeth and other intraoral tissues of children aged 0-12, provides appropriate treatment with suitable methods, and also carries out preventive applications aimed at protecting the teeth from decay.
The first dental visit for children
It is emphasized that the age of the first dental visit should be 6 months or 1 year after the eruption of the first tooth (American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (AAPD) and European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD)). It is important in preventing early childhood caries (baby bottle caries) for families to be informed, guided, and take precautions regarding dental health.
At dental visits for children, dental examinations are kept short so as not to tire or worry the child. At this stage, where the family's attitude is very important, it is necessary to earn the child's trust.
Tooth brushing in children and dental caries
Before and after the first teeth appear, the mouth and teeth should be cleaned with a clean gauze pad or with the help of finger brushes. From the age of 1, a toothbrush should be used, and a very small amount of toothpaste should be applied to the brush surface. In children aged 2-6, toothpaste in the amount of a pea and fluoride toothpaste should be used.
Dental caries is an important problem because it negatively affects children's general health and oral and dental health. Today, dental caries is defined as an infectious disease and is reported as the most common disease in childhood.
The formation of dental caries depends on many factors, and by performing daily oral hygiene, systemic and topical fluoride application, proper nutrition practices, and regular dental check-ups with professional care, dental caries can be prevented.
The importance of primary teeth
Primary teeth make it possible to transition from milk feeding at the beginning of life to solid and varied nutrition, and through nutrition they play an effective role in children's development.
Primary teeth perform the chewing function and indirectly help jaw development; in addition, together with the function of the chewing muscles, they ensure the jaw develops proportionally. They make it possible to speak and pronounce some sounds correctly.
When the lower and upper teeth are positioned correctly and healthily in the mouth, they ensure that the 6-year molars erupt and replace them properly. Primary teeth, which are an element of balance in the mouth, have a major role in the replacement of new teeth.
It should be remembered that the structures, shapes, and functions of primary teeth may differ from permanent teeth.
Methods of protection against dental caries
Approaches to preventing dental caries are interventions based on the principles of reducing microorganisms, reducing access to sugars, and increasing the teeth's resistance to decay, or combinations of these.
Some of the procedures within preventive dentistry and applied in pedodontics are as follows; -Educating the individual about regular and balanced nutrition -Providing the patient with information about oral and dental care -Fluoride application -Pit and fissure sealant application
Fluoride and fissure sealant applications
Topical fluoride applications, whose effectiveness in preventing dental caries has been proven by scientific studies, should be applied correctly after the risk of dental caries has been determined.
Professional topical applications should be carried out regularly by the dentist every 3 months in the high-risk group, every 6 months in the moderate-risk group, and at 6-12 month intervals in the low-risk group.
The progression of initial carious lesions should be stopped with remineralization treatment, and if necessary, cavitated caries should be treated at an early stage.
The pits and grooves found on the surface of the teeth, that is, the structures we call fissures, are more prone to the development of caries. They are areas where caries are frequently seen due to both the difficulty of self-cleansing and the presence of plaque that cannot be removed by brushing. By protecting and reducing these areas, we prevent caries from forming. Fissure sealant (preventive filling) is the process of sealing deep fissures on the surface of the teeth with suitable filling materials without causing loss of tooth structure. In this way, the tooth on which the fissure sealant has been applied will be easier to clean, and at the same time, newly erupted teeth in the mouth will be strengthened with fissure sealant.
Doka Klinik Dental Team
This article is for information only; please consult our dentists for a treatment plan tailored to you.
