281H
Fig. 7.3 Dinky type comforter with a
small reservoir that can be filled with
something to drink.7.3 IDENTIFYING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN NEED OF DENTAL CARE
Identification of dental caries at an early stage is highly desirable if preventive
measures and restorative care are to be successful. Yet, at 5 years of age a significant
number of children will still not have had their first check-up visit to a dentist. In the
UK, the Community Dental Service often identifies untreated caries in children of 5
years and over at school dental screenings. However, the large-scale screening of
preschool children is fraught with logistical difficulties. In addition, many parents are
under the misconception that they do not need to take their child for a dental check-
up visit until they are 4 or 5 years of age.
Parents should be encouraged to bring their child for a dental check as soon as the
child has teeth, usually around 6 months of age. This allows appropriate preventive
advice regarding tooth cleaning, fluoride toothpastes, and the avoidance of bottle
habits. It also allows the child to be become familiar with the dental environment and
enables the dentist to identify any carious deterioration of the teeth at an early stage.
Other health professionals, such as health visitors, can also be valuable in delivering
key preventive advice and helping to identify young children with possible decay.
Hence, making contact with local health visitors and delivering dental health
messages via mother and toddler groups can be useful strategies.
Key Points
- Parents should be encouraged to bring their children for a dental check-up as soon
as the child has teeth (around 6 months of age). - Making contact with local health visitors, baby clinics, and mother-and-baby groups
can be effective ways of getting dental information to the parents of preschool
children.
7.4 MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AT FIRST ATTENDANCE
Unfortunately, the preschool child with caries is often already in pain when they first
attend a dental surgery. Not only does this present the immediate problem of having
to consider active treatment in a very young, inexperienced patient, but these
problems are often compounded by the child's lack of sleep and time constraints on
the dentist.
Pulpitis can sometimes be effectively managed, in the short term, by gentle
excavation of caries and dressing with a zinc oxide and eugenol-based material, such