Mother and Child’s Oral Health Linked
Dental health and general health are intrinsically tied, which is then doubled in the case of mothers and their child’s dental health.
A 2010 UCSF study examined the oral and dental health of several families, with findings revealing that if the mother suffered with tooth decay the risk of their child developing the condition was doubled.
The causes of this increase were numerous, with the studying linking using the same utensils at meal times, such as when a mother tests the heat of her child’s food and also the sharing of poor oral hygiene habits to be partially responsible.
However, access to dental care was the main cause of poor oral health, with the families studied mainly deriving from low-income areas, where the access to affordable dentistry was decreased.
Mothers are encouraged to feed their children with clean utensils, curb the drinking of sweet and sugary drinks to meal times and not allow any drinks apart from water before bed.
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It’s a good idea to get your child in for routine checkups, rather than waiting to find a dentist only when there’s an immediate concern or emergency.Starting off your children with practicing good oral hygiene at an early age can be very important to cure childhood tooth decay.