Oral health is an important aspect of a child’s development. A parent’s knowledge about oral care is critical in ensuring the accomplishment of the developmental milestones of a child. Children face severe problems where parents lack knowledge on oral care and the associated challenges. Dental caries remain a major challenge in the world for children who do not get appropriate care from their parents or caregivers. Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a chronic condition characterized with decay of teeth or teeth cavities that necessitate filling (Sogi et al., 2016). It can be mild, severe, or moderate.
Tooth decay is one aspect that most parents will ignore due to a lack of knowledge. The problem is only noticeable when it depicts anguish pain and inability to chew, especially during feeding. The seriousness of the matter for an unknowledgeable parent is evidenced by the scary face worn by such a parent after receiving a prescription stating the removal of a tooth or the option of filling it. It is at this point that the parent realizes that oral care is critical for the child’s well-being (Sheiham, 2006). This may happen when it is too late to save the child the agony and pain of losing some teeth permanently due to the interconnection between the deciduous and permanent teeth.
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An infection on a deciduous tooth may affect a child’s quality of life in a lifetime. To avoid passing an infection from a deciduous to a permanent tooth, dentists will mostly prefer the removal of the infected deciduous tooth (Cordeiro & Rocha, 2009). A major issue is that dental caries may be quite painful and may cause disfigurement which may further yield a child’s lack of cooperation in the treatment process. The treatment process is also time-consuming and also drains a lot of cash from the caregiver.
In essence, it is imperative for parents to be sensitized about the importance of oral health for children to ensure accountability that will further yield quality lives for the children from the time of the appearance of the first deciduous tooth to the time of shedding such teeth which marks the commencement of the development of the permanent teeth. From thereon, the child can take care of its teeth by following the practices of the caregiver who acts as a role model in such cases.
References
Cordeiro, M. M. & Rocha, M. J. (2009). The effects of periradicular inflamation and infection on a primary tooth and permanent successor. J Clin Pediatr Dent. 29, 193–200.
Sheiham, A. (2006). Oral health, general health and quality of life. Bull World Health Organ. 83 , 644-646.
Sogi, S., Hugar, S. M., Nalawade, T. M., Sinha, A., Hugar, S. & Mallikarjuna, R. M. (2016). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of oral healthcare in prevention of early childhood cariesamong parents of children in Belagavi City: A questionnaire study. J Family Med Prim Care, 5 (2), 286-290. Doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.192332.
