Oral Health and Children
- Early childhood caries (cavities) is the number 1 chronic disease affecting young children.
- Early childhood caries is 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever.
- Tooth pain keeps many children home from school or distracted from learning.
- Children are recommended to have their first dental visit by age 1.
Yet many children and their families have trouble accessing oral health care and pediatricians may not know where to turn to help them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Oral Health and Chapter Oral Health Advocates provide education, training, and advocacy for pediatricians, dentists, other health professionals, and families.
The importance of improving children's oral health and strategies to do so are included in the Academic Pediatrics Special Issue on Children's Oral Health.
Together we can make a difference by improving communication and collaboration between the medical and dental homes and making pediatricians and other health professionals an essential part of the oral health team!
News and Highlights
- Register now for the AAP Oral Health Risk Assessment in the Medical Home Webinar on May 15, 2012 at 2:00 PM EDT.
- Pediatricians can become members of the AAP Section on Oral Health for free! Simply email oralhealth@aap.org. All new members receive a free flip chart (while supplies last)!
- New AAP/Bright Futures Oral Health Risk Assessment Tool
- AAP updates the Protecting All Children’s Teeth curriculum with new resources for teaching medical students and residents.
- AAP endorses the child-focused modules of the Smiles for Life National Oral Health Curriculum.
