Using anticipatory guidance to provide early dental intervention

Abstract

While the infectious-disease model continues to dominate the design of preventive programs for children, ample evidence supports the need to consider other aspects of caries prevention such as functional and developmental considerations--and to do it earlier than conventional wisdom would suggest--if further gains are to be made in caries reduction. Anticipatory guidance provides a framework for prevention that goes beyond caries to address all aspects of children's oral health.