By Jennifer Wainright

SALISBURY — Did you know 42 percent of American children age 2 to 11 have had dental cavities in their primary teeth, regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnicity? With all of our efforts to create access to dental care for children in our country, 23 percent of them still have untreated dental caries. A public health study from 2011 shows dental cavities occur five to eight times more frequently than asthma in children.

Untreated dental decay destroys more than just the pretty smile for those little faces. The following surveys, concluded from many different studies, show how untreated decay affects children:

• Children with poor oral health were three times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain. Children with dental pain also perform poorly in school due to their inability to focus.
• Children with active dental problems have difficulty chewing, causing poor nutrition.
• Dental problems, such as broken teeth, pain and swelling can also affect their ability to sleep better at night, causing sleep deprivation-related problems.
• Untreated dental decay can cause an unattractive smile, which compromises the child’s self-esteem. The child may become reluctant to smile or embarrassed about the appearance of their teeth. This can be misconstrued as unfriendliness, causing problems with social development.
• Dental decay in children also has a great affect on other systemic diseases such as: 
  • Cardiovascular disease: This means heart disease. The bacteria from inflammation of the gums and periodontal disease can enter your bloodstream and travel to the arteries in the heart and cause atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis causes plaque to develop on the inner walls of arteries, which can thicken. This may decrease or may block blood flow through the body. This can cause an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The inner lining of the heart can also become infected and inflamed, a condition known as endocarditis.
  • Dental decay also increases respiratory infections: The “Journal of Periodontology” warns that gum disease could cause you to get infections in your lungs, including pneumonia. While the connection might not be completely obvious at first, think of what might happen from breathing in bacteria from infected teeth and gums over a long period of time.
  • There is a rise in diabetes in children due to increase in obesity: dental decay increases the complications with children’s diabetes by causing the inflammation of the gum tissue. Periodontal disease can make it harder to control your blood sugar and make your diabetes symptoms worse, making proper dental care even more important for those with this disease.

The best way to help your child have a great start is to begin with a visit to a dentist who will create a great experience for your child. They will take some x-rays to get through the dental check up to see if your child needs any dental attention. If so, take care of any dental care needs. It is very important to find a dentist who will take their time to understand your child and work at their pace to create a positive experience for long term good dental care.

Once you get the green light from your dental health provider, it is very important to create good home care habits. This includes: brushing in the morning to remove the bacteria that has been growing in your mouth all night. Another great habit is to floss and brush before you go to bed to remove all bacteria and food from your teeth, so you can sleep well without worrying about acid release from bacteria breaking down all leftover food in your teeth. Fluoride mouth rinses are great, but you must make sure they do not have any alcohol, such as Listerine Zero and Act.

Children remember, rinsing with mouth rinses or eating mints does not replace the act of removing bacteria — you need to brush.

We hope this information helps parents to have a great start of the school year for their children. For more information, visit our website at Piedmontdds.com or on Facebook/piedmontdds.