San Carlos  — Good oral health plays a critical role in a child’s overall well-being and education. Yet tooth decay is the most common chronic disease faced by young children. It is also 100 percent preventable.

First Things First, Arizona’s early childhood agency, and partners recently launched Healthy Teeth resources (FirstThingsFirst.org/resources/healthy-teeth/) in time for February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month to help more families understand the importance of early oral health and what they can do to help prevent tooth decay in their babies, toddlers and preschoolers. 

According to a 2016 First Things First study, conducted in partnership with the Arizona Department of Health Services, 52 percent of Arizona’s kindergartners have experienced tooth decay compared with 36 percent of five-year-old children nationally.

Left untreated, tooth decay in young children’s primary teeth puts them at risk for future problems like damaged permanent teeth; increased vulnerability to infections in other parts of the body, such as the ears, sinuses and brain; impaired speech development; and reduced self-esteem.

“Helping children develop healthy habits to care for teeth while they are young is important,” said Kelly Reede, who is the health representative on the First Things First San Carlos Apache Regional Council and WIC program manager. “These habits can set the stage for good oral health care throughout their entire life. They can avoid many of the problems that result from poor oral health, including gum disease, cavities and tooth decay.”

Healthy Teeth resources offers basic, but often unknown, tips to prevent tooth decay, including in babies. For example, families often don’t know that a child’s first dental visit should happen once the first tooth appears or by their first birthday – or that decay-causing germs can be passed from parents to babies when they lick their pacifier.

Here are four easy tips:

Don’t share germs. Your baby is born with no germs in their mouth, but germs are easily passed from yours to theirs — when you share spoons or food, or lick their pacifier. Do your best to not put things from your mouth into your baby’s mouth.

Limit sugar. Sugar is in many foods, especially sweets (candy, cookies, flavored yogurt and pudding), snacks (chips and French fries) and sweet drinks (soda, juice, teas and sports drinks). Try to serve more healthy foods and snacks and give your child more water to drink.

Take care of their teeth at home. Starting at birth, clean your baby’s gums with a clean, soft washcloth after each feeding. Once their first teeth appear (usually at about six months), gently brush with a soft infant toothbrush and small amount of fluoride toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice. From ages 1 to 3, try to brush twice a day for two minutes using a smear of fluoride toothpaste. The best times to brush are after breakfast and before bed. Starting at age three, brush with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.

Take your child to regular dental checkups. Schedule your child’s first dental visit when you see their first tooth or by their first birthday. Just like they need regular checkups with their doctor, children need a dental check-up starting at age 1 and every year after that to prevent tooth decay and the need for much more costly dental care later.

About First Things First

As Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First funds early learning, family support and children’s preventive health services to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Decisions about how those funds are spent are made by local councils staffed by community volunteers. To learn more, visit FirstThingsFirst.org.