Maintaining oral health is central to a high quality of life because it limits the risks of disease. The oral health status of children with visual impairments should be investigated so their health care needs can be determined and preventive dental procedures can be implemented. This paper presents a study that aimed to evaluate the oral health…

Too many California children suffer from high rates of preventable chronic conditions associated with childhood obesity and dental disease. The state is experiencing a crisis in both areas. Fortunately, common factors that contribute to both conditions--including the rates of breastfeeding, access to healthy food and the consumption of…

Dental caries is a disease process, one that will not be eliminated by tooth repair alone. Caries is the most prevalent disease of children and the primary reason for most restorative dental visits in both adults and children. A risk-based approach to managing caries targets those in greatest jeopardy for contracting the disease and provides…

Meeting the needs of a loved one with a disability or complex medical condition presents challenges everyday, and it becomes very easy for a parent or caregiver to allow concerns such as dental health to fall by the wayside in the face of other priorities. However, healthy teeth and gums are necessary for overall health. People with special needs…

Changes in the prevalence of oral diseases and the funding of National Health Service Dentistry in the United Kingdom have combined to emphasize the role of the dental team in the prevention of disease. As part of this, oral health promotion plays a vital role in local communities and educational settings. Like many other inner-city London…

In recent years, concerns have been raised about the adequacy of dental care for low-income children. Attention to this subject became more acute due to the widely publicized case of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old boy who died as a result of an untreated infected tooth that led to a fatal brain infection. Deamonte had health coverage through…

Objective: To investigate the views and experiences of parents whose children have rampant tooth decay. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 19 parents of varied age and social background whose children had been referred to Dundee Dental Hospital for assessment for dental extractions. Participants were encouraged to…

Poor oral health is an important public health issue. Adolescents represent a challenging group in terms of oral health because they have vulnerable permanent teeth erupting at a time when they are establishing their independence from parental influence. Preventing oral disease by attempting to influence the behaviours that impact adversely on…

False teeth among children are a Public Health problem which has not received adequate attention in Uganda. This study was therefore developed as a community-based descriptive cross-sectional carried out in Kanungu District using qualitative methods of data collection among caregivers of children, Community Owned Resource Persons and Service…

This article describes the consequences of dental disease among children under age 3. "Early childhood carries" (ECC) is preventable but is still a major public health problem--especially in poor and medically underserved communities--due to lack of awareness about prevention. The authors explain that in transdisciplinary care, practitioners work…