Pediatric Caries Prevention and Homecare-Pediatric Caries Prevention and Homecare

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The webinar, led by pediatric dentist Dr. Jeanette McClain, focused on preventing childhood caries through early, practical home care and in-office guidance. She emphasized that children should receive their first dental visit by age one or when the first tooth erupts, in order to establish a “dental home” and begin risk assessment, education, and prevention early.<br /><br />Dr. McClain discussed behavior management techniques for treating young children, including tell-show-do, lap-to-lap exams, distraction, positive reinforcement, and the use of mirrors, toys, and child-friendly language. She also encouraged involving parents in the operatory to improve education and transparency, while coaching them to avoid scare words like “shot” or “drill.”<br /><br />A major theme was caries risk: decay is multifactorial and influenced by diet, oral hygiene, saliva, anatomy, airway issues, tongue/lip ties, and feeding habits. She highlighted the importance of anticipatory guidance, especially around limiting frequent snacking, juice, gummy vitamins, sticky starches, and acidic “designer junk foods” like sour candies and spicy chips.<br /><br />Preventive tools included fluoride toothpaste, varnish, sealants, and sealant-friendly glass ionomer materials. She strongly favored glass ionomer sealants for their fluoride release and moisture tolerance. She also discussed fluoride controversies, hydroxyapatite alternatives, and the evidence behind toothpaste dosing for young children.<br /><br />Finally, she covered non-nutritive sucking habits, airway screening, and the need for a team approach involving parents, schools, pediatricians, ENTs, and other dental specialists to improve children’s oral health.

Asset Caption

Description Dental caries remains a global health problem in children. Dental professionals play a vital role in the management of early childhood caries. Early interception with simple yet effective prevention programs can help. This course will discuss real-world strategies to mitigate the burden of early childhood caries. Learning Objectives Review strategies for prevention of early childhood caries. Discuss anticipatory guidance for pediatric oral health homecare. Review nutritional counseling tips for children. Speaker Bio: Jeanette MacLean, DDS, is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry; fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; owner of Affiliated Children’s Dental Specialists in Glendale, Arizona; and mother of two. She received her dental degree with honors from the University of Southern California in 2003 and completed her specialty training in pediatric dentistry in 2005 at Sunrise Children’s Hospital through the University of Nevada School of Medicine. MacLean has become an internationally recognized advocate and expert on minimally invasive dentistry, appearing in newspapers, magazines, television and CE lectures on this hot topic. Additional Information This course is sponsored by Crest Oral-B.

Keywords

childhood caries

pediatric dentistry

first dental visit

dental home

caries risk assessment

behavior management

tell-show-do

fluoride toothpaste

dental sealants

glass ionomer

anticipatory guidance

oral hygiene

airway screening