How your child’s medical doctor can help prevent cavities

Brushing teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and limiting sugary and starchy foods are key in preventing cavities and protecting your child’s dental health. But did you know your child’s medical provider can help fight cavities too?

Delta Dental’s Partners for Prevention Program is training medical providers about the importance of oral health and the application of a preventive treatment that helps make your child’s tooth enamel stronger, which helps prevent cavities.

The ‘why and how’ behind Partners for Prevention

Although it’s recommended that children visit the dentist by age 1, many South Dakota children don’t have their first dental visit until age 3. Because children see their medical doctor many times before age 3 for well child visits, it simply makes sense to add them as partners to help prevent tooth decay.

Delta Dental’s registered dental hygienists and educators provide free lunch and learn training sessions for a wide range of health care practitioners including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and medical assistants. The program also trains students in healthcare programs to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.

Since 2017, nearly 1,000 South Dakota medical professionals and close to 1,500 students have received in-person training so they can help improve oral health for South Dakota’s youngest patients.

Baby teeth matter

Unfortunately, too many children suffer from untreated tooth decay. When cavities go untreated, they can cause pain, infections, and difficulties eating or speaking, contributing to long-term consequences as well.

When a child suffers dental pain, they are 3 times more likely to miss school. When teens experience dental pain, they are 4 times more likely to have a lower grade point average.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood. It’s also nearly 100% preventable. That makes every partner important to make sure kids have healthy smiles.

What can I do as a parent?

• Be sure to brush 2x a day and limit sugar in your child’s diet.
• Schedule an age-one dental visit for your child.
• Ask your pediatrician about fluoride varnish during well-child visits.
• Educate yourself about the benefits of good oral health practices.

Looking for more information on child dental health? Check out this blog: Top 5 Ways to Take Care of Your Children’s Teeth.