Preventive Dental Care

Preventive Dental Care

• Twice daily use of the recommended amount of fluoride-containing toothpaste is recommended as a primary preventive measure.
• Brushing should be supervised, and young children should be taught to spit out the toothpaste and to avoid rinsing immediately after brushing.

Fluoride Toothpaste in Children

• For children aged 6 months to less than 2 years, use a smear of fluoride toothpaste (0.125 mg) with a concentration of 1000 ppm, twice daily.
• For children aged 2 to less than 6 years, use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste (0.25 mg) with a concentration of 1000 ppm, twice daily.
• For children aged 6 years and above, use a full length of bristle fluoride toothpaste (0.5-1.0 mg) with a concentration of 1000 ppm, twice daily.

Topical Fluoride Treatment

• Professionally applied topical fluoride has been approved to prevent or reverse enamel caries.
• Topical fluoride treatments should be provided every six months or as indicated by the child's individual needs or risk status/susceptibility to caries.

Anticipatory Guidance

• For children aged 12-24 months, repeat the procedure for ages 6-12 months every six months, and provide counseling and education to parents on:

  • The carcinogenicity of some food and beverages
  • Dental caries and its relationship with prolonged bottle feeding
  • Prolonged bottle feeding while asleep

• For children aged 2-12 years, repeat the procedures for 12-24 months every six months, and:

  • Provide age-appropriate oral hygiene instructions
  • Scale and clean the teeth every six months or as indicated by individual patient's needs
  • Provide counseling and services (mouth guards) as needed for oro-facial trauma prevention
  • Check developing dentition and occlusion as indicated by individual patient's needs
  • Provide adequate referral for any oral diseases, habits, or injuries as indicated
  • Assess speech and language development and provide referral for possible dental etiology of the problem
  • Supplement a child's diet with fluoride according to established guidelines when fluoride levels in public drinking water are suboptimal

• For children aged 12 years and older, repeat the procedure for ages 2-12 years, and:

  • Provide substance abuse counseling (smoking, smokeless tobacco) and its effects on dental health
  • Provide counseling on intraoral/perioral piercing