Dr Mohender Narula, Founder and Chairman, MyDentalPlan Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 530 million children suffer from oral issues such as dental caries in their primary teeth. This indicates that children from early infanthood get introduced to substances that can ruin their teeth and create oral problems that need immediate attention.
It is believed that sweets are responsible for oral issues in children. However, they are not the only reason. There are so many agents present in the environment around us that may damage the teeth on a daily basis. For children, this damage could impact more gravely impacting than adults.
Pollutants in the environment release gasses that are acidic in nature and get dissolved in the water bodies. These may also remain in the air and eventually lead to erosion of teeth. Eroded teeth have more risk of caries and decay, especially amongst children, who have deciduous teeth since those are not as strong as the permanent teeth.
In fact, the poor air and water quality in the environment can cause oral issues in children before they are even born. According to the epidemiological data, there is a deep connection between prenatal exposure to pollution and oral clefts in newborns. The presence of O3 in the air and exposure of expecting mothers to such an environment may lead to the baby being under the risk of cleft lip/cleft palate.
“Moderation is the key,” this saying is not just right in case of bad habits but also good ones. Fluoride is good for teeth until it is not! The presence of fluoride in the toothpaste strengthens your teeth but for children, the toothpaste should have little or no amount of fluoride. The aforementioned difference is due to the fact that fluoride can make them sick.
Fluoride in water is no joke either, people living in communities with high fluoride content in the water should be aware that it can cause low mineralisation and discolouration of the teeth.
Ensuring that your kid brushes their teeth twice a day could be the first step towards good oral health but there is more to strong teeth. Six monthly visits to the Pedodontist (kid’s dentist) shall help you keep up to date with your child’s oral health and will reduce the risk of grave oral issues that may occur due to ignorance. Application of topical fluoride varnish or sealants also helps to prevent decay and decalcification of enamel.
Please attribute the above article to Dr Mohender Narula, Founder and Chairman, MyDentalPlan Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.