Because pediatricians and family practitioners see children early and frequently for preventive health care, they are ideally positioned to serve as the first contact in the area of oral health, particularly for children ages 0 to 3.
They can identify children at risk for oral health problems; assess exposure to fluoride; provide anticipatory guidance and parent education; provide preventive services such as fluoride varnish application where appropriate; and make timely referrals to a dental home.
This Web page provides information relevant to practicing clinicians, including policy statements, resources, and available trainings to support efforts at implementing oral health assessments into well-child visits.
Guidelines for Monitoring and Management of Pediatric Patients During and After Sedation for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures: An Update
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry joint statement provides guidelines for all medical and dental practitioners regarding the monitoring and management of pediatric patients during and after sedation. The sedation of children is different from the sedation of adults. Children often require deeper levels of sedation to control their behavior for safe completion of a procedure, and they are particularly vulnerable to the physiological effects of sedating medications.
The Medical Home
Efforts to establish medical homes for all children have encountered many challenges, including the existence of multiple interpretations of the "medical home" concept and the lack of adequate reimbursement for services provided by physicians caring for children in a medical home. This new policy statement contains an expanded and more comprehensive interpretation of the concept and an operational definition of the medical home.
Oral and Dental Aspects of Child Abuse and Neglect
Physicians with experience or expertise in child abuse and neglect should make themselves available to dentists and to dental organizations as consultants and educators. Such efforts will strengthen our ability to prevent and detect child abuse and neglect and enhance our ability to care for and protect children.
Oral Health Risk Assessment Timing and Establishment of the Dental Home
Pediatricians and pediatric health care professionals should develop the knowledge base to perform oral health risk assessments on all patients beginning at 6 months of age. Patients who have been determined to be at risk of development of dental caries or who fall into recognized risk groups should be directed to establish a dental home 6 months after the first tooth erupts or by 1 year of age (whichever comes first).
The Pediatrician's Role in Community Pediatrics
For many pediatricians, efforts to promote the health of children have been directed at attending to the needs of particular children in a practice setting, on an individual basis, and providing them with a medical home. Increasingly, however, the major threats to the health of America's children arise from problems that cannot be adequately addressed by the practice model alone. "We must become partners with others, or we will become increasingly irrelevant to the health of children."
Preventive Oral Health Intervention for Pediatricians
This policy is a compilation of current concepts and scientific evidence required to
understand and implement practice-based preventive oral health programs designed
to improve oral health outcomes for all children and especially children at
significant risk of dental decay.
Resources/Links
American
Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): A Practical Guide to Infant Oral Health
This guide is designed to help physicians examine children's teeth for defects
and cavities at every well-child visit. The guide is broken down in sections including:
oral etiology, oral health promotion, birth to 3 months of age, 4 months of age,
6 to 12 months of age, and 15 months and older.
Bright
Futures in Practice: Oral Health Pocket Guide
This guide is designed to
help health professionals implement specific oral health guidelines during pregnancy
and postpartum, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. It
addresses risk assessment for dental caries, periodontal disease, malocclusion,
and injury.
National Maternal and Child Oral
Health Resource Center Publications Page
This Web page features all the Oral Health Resource Center publications, including new materials, brochures, policy briefings, and information about Bright Futures, children with special health care needs, and early childhood caries.
Oral
Health Information
The American Dental Hygienist Association has produced
a series of handouts offering oral health information that health professionals
can provide to consumers. Topics include tips for improving oral health for children
and adolescents, nutrition, fluoride, and choosing a dental office.
