Toddler Tooth Decay
Sugary snacks attack toddlers' teeth
Dentists are worried as toddlers present with tooth decay from eating too many sugary snacks and not brushing their teeth.
The Australian Dental Association said how parents cared for their babies and toddlers' teeth had a big impact on decay in children's teeth by the time they went to school.
Seemingly healthy food such as fruit juice drinks and muesli bars were some of the biggest culprits in tooth decay.
A new report by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare shows more than half of six-year-olds have decay in their baby teeth, though WA children had the lowest rates.
The study looked at almost 200,000 children aged four to 15 who visited the school dentist in 2005 and 2006.
The average six-year-old had two decayed teeth and one in 10 had eight decayed teeth.
The dental association has launched a campaign to educate parents and carers of babies and toddlers about the need to prevent decay which could cause infections, stomach upsets and failure to thrive.
Spokesman Dr Peter Alldritt said seeing dental decay in toddlers and young children was particularly concerning.
"Decay is largely caused by what and how often a young child eats and if you add poor oral hygiene habits, such as not brushing teeth twice a day, then a young child has a real risk of painful decay," Dr Alldritt said.
Dr Lena Lejmanoski, who chairs the ADA's oral health committee in WA, said good oral hygiene began with babies.
Even before their teeth came through parents needed to wipe gums with a soft cloth regularly.
The ADA has fact sheets at www.babyteeth.com.au .Toddler Tooth Decay - News
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