Infant oral health

Abstract

According to the United Nations' Convention on "The Rights of the Child," articles 2 and 24, all children should have the same rights and have right to health and medical service. Early childhood caries is a lifestyle disease with biologic, behavioral, and social determinants. An early screening of all children at around 1 year of age is an excellent opportunity for early detection of risk factors and risk indicators that may increase the possibilities for its prevention. The caries risk evaluation should form the base for appropriate recommendations of preventive measures. The preventive care must be coordinated with an eventual operative care and should be based on education of prospective and new parents as well as professional and home-based measures. The various interventions must be developed further and evaluated in prospective studies in terms of effectiveness and efficiency for this specific age group. This is an urgent task for dental professionals and all societies with the ambition of providing good dental care for all young children.