Dental News - Lack of guidance may delay child’s first trip to dentist

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 26. February 2018

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ANN ARBOR, Mich., U.S.: As soon as the first tooth appears, parents should start taking their child to the dentist for regular checkups. What seems like a logical step in order to secure a child’s oral health from the first tooth onward is not evident to all parents since recommendations on when to begin dental visits have changed over the years. Therefore, parents who rely on their own experience or advice from family members may be hearing outdated advice.

A new national poll has found that without a doctor’s or dentist’s guidance some parents do not follow the updated national recommendations for early dental care for their children. According to a recent national poll on children’s health by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, one in six parents who did not receive advice from a health care provider believed they should delay dentist visits for their children until age 4 or later. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association both recommend starting dental visits around age 1, when the primary teeth emerge.

The nationally representative poll was based on responses from 790 parents with at least one child under 5. More than half of the parents did not receive guidance from their child’s doctor or dentist about when to start dentist visits. Among parents who were not prompted by a doctor or dentist, only 35 percent believed dentist visits should start when children are a year or younger, as is recommended.

“Our poll finds that when parents get clear guidance from their child’s doctor or dentist, they understand the first dental visit should take place at an early age. Without such guidance, some parents turn to family or friends for advice. As recommendations change, they may be hearing outdated information and not getting their kids to the dentist early enough,” said poll co-director Sarah Clark.

“Parents hear clear guidelines on when they should begin well-child visits for their child’s health and often schedule the first visit before they even bring their baby home from the hospital. Parents get much less guidance, however, on when to start taking their child to the dentist, with less than half saying they have received professional advice. This lack of guidance may mean many parents delay the start of dental visits past the recommended age,” she added.

Parents with higher income and education and those with private dental insurance were more likely to report that a doctor or dentist provided guidance on when to start dental visits.

“Our poll suggests that families who are low-income, less educated, and on Medicaid are less likely to receive professional guidance on dental care. This is particularly problematic because low-income children have higher rates of early childhood tooth decay and would benefit from early dental care,” Clark explained.

In the poll, over half of parents (60 percent) reported that their child had had a dental visit, and most parents (79 percent) believed the visit was worthwhile. Among the 40 percent of parents whose child had not had a dental visit, common reasons for not going were that the child was not old enough (42 percent), the child’s teeth were healthy (25 percent) and the child would be scared of the dentist (15 percent).

A quarter of parents who had delayed dental visits said that their child’s teeth were healthy, but Clark noted that it is unlikely that a parent could detect early dental caries. “Parents may not notice decay until there’s discoloration, and by then the problem has likely become significant. Immediate dental treatment at the first sign of decay can prevent more significant dental problems down the road, which is why having regular dentist visits throughout early childhood is so important.”

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