Dental care received by children in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN) was compared to National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) data for children without special healthcare needs and children with parent-reported ASD. Correlates of obtained preventive dental services were examined within the ATN sample. Participants included 375…

Early preventive dental visits are vital to the oral health of children. Yet many children, especially preschool-age children enrolled in Medicaid, do not receive early visits. This study attempts to uncover factors that can be used to encourage parents to seek preventive dental care for preschool-age children enrolled in Medicaid. The extended…

This paper reports on one of the main goals of preventive dentistry, that is, encouraging children to remove plaque at least once a day. Two self-scoring systems were combined with two disclosants for a total of four experimental systems administered to 128 children. In the count method, the child counts the number of stained teeth; in the rating…

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…

Although the school has an important role in teaching children good dental care habits, the example and guidance of parents is of first importance in helping children to develop the right attitudes toward dental health and the proper care of their teeth. (JD)

Reviews the controversy regarding water fluoridation in the United States during the last 50 years. Discusses the current status; benefits; and health risks including skeletal fluorosis, kidney disease, hypersensitivity, mutagenic effects, birth defects, and cancer. Presents statistics and anecdotal accounts. (CW)

Five dental schools were given grants to design and implement a training program for dental students in planning and delivering preventive dental services. These programs are described and compared, and it is concluded that all were generally successful and worthy of continuation. (JSR)