Caries is currently the most common
chronic infectious disease during childhood, five times more common than asthma
and seven times more common than hay fever. It is a serious public health problem
that may have severe repercussions in
the baby's and the child's general health.
- Belated visits to the dentist: the sooner you visit the paediatric dentist (before your child turns one year old), the more possibilities and tools to prevent oral diseases you will have.
- Dental characteristics: a small amount of children have enamel defects in their milk teeth (hypoplasia) caused by some alteration during their formation (in the womb), making their surface more vulnerable to caries.
- Poor oral hygiene: is maybe the most important factor for caries development. From the moment the first tooth has erupted, it is mandatory to clean the baby's mouth, as well as to floss between molars as soon as they come in contact with each other.
- Early bacterial transmission: there are certain risky conducts that increase the possibility of an early transmission of bacteria from the mother/father's saliva and increase the baby’s caries risk.
- Nocturnal feeding: during sleep, there is almost no salivary flow, so this moment is the most susceptible to bacterial attack. That is why after the first tooth erupts nocturnal feeding is not advisable, especially in a baby bottle. In case of continuing breastfeeding or the bottle, you must try to clean your baby's teeth after nocturnal feeding.
- Incorrect nutritious habits: a highly cariogenic diet, especially between meals, multiplies the possibility of developing early childhood caries.
- Children with constant and/or prolonged medication: many paediatric medicines (antibiotics, corticosteroids, flu medicines, etc) contain high sugar content, turning medicated children into high-risk caries patients who must be monitored more frequently.