ANSWERS TO YOUR DENTAL QUESTIONS

My Children’s Teeth: Good information for Parents and Caregivers

Finding Connor Deegan – AAPMD – Youtube (click on picture to play video)

Pediatric Dental Health

GERD handout with severity scale – Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease (PDF)

Pediatric Dental Disease and the Domino Effect

First Tooth Pain, Then School Absence, Then Lower Grades, Then Parental Concern, Then Lost Work Days….

Poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put children at a serious disadvantage in school, according to a new study conducted by the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. Appearing in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the study, entitled “The Impact of Oral Health on the Academic Performance of Disadvantaged Children,” examined nearly 1,500 socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary and high school children in the Los Angeles Unified School District, matching their oral health status to their academic achievement and attendance records.

Researchers had previously documented that 73% of disadvantaged children in Los Angeles have dental caries; this study illuminates the specific connection between oral health and performance in school for this population, said Roseann Mulligan, DDS, chair of the school’s Division of Dental Public Health and Pediatric Dentistry and corresponding author of the study.

Children who reported having recent tooth pain were 4 times more likely to have a low grade point average (GPA) – below the median GPA of 2.8- when compared to children without oral pain, according to study results. And poor oral health doesn’t just appear to the connected to lower grades, Dr. Mulligan said, adding that dental problems also seem to cause more absences from school for children and more missed work for parents.

“On average, elementary children missed a total of 6 days per year, and high school children missed 2.6 days. For elementary students, 2.1 days of missed school were due to dental problems, and high school students missed 2.3 days due to dental issues,” Dr. Mulligan said. “That shows oral health problems are a very significant factor in school absences. Also, parents missed an average of 2.5 days of work per year to care for children with dental problems.”

A factor determining whether children miss school due to dental health issues was the accessibility of dental care. Eleven percent of children who had limited access to dental care-whether due to lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or other barriers-missed school due to their poor oral health, as opposed to only 4% who had easier access to dental care.

“Our data indicates that for disadvantaged children, there is an impact on students’ academic performance due to dental problems. We recommend that oral health programs be more integrated into other health, educational, and social programs, especially those that are school-based,” Dr. Mulligan said. “Furthermore, widespread population studies are needed to demonstrate that enormous personal, societal, and financial burdens that this epidemic of oral disease is causing on a national level.”

Dental Hygiene Links

Proctor & Gamble

Click on any of the topics listed under “Consumer” to access information.

Colgate Palmolive

Consumer Information Site

Guideline on Fluoride Therapy

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

Fun Kids Books and Links

JUST GOING TO THE DENTIST

​

By Author and Illustrator Mercer Mayor

DAVID DECIDES ABOUT THUMBSUCKING: A Story for Children, a Guide for Parents

​

By: Susan P H.D. Heitler and Susan M. Heitler