The ADA/Crest Oral-B study that I discussed in an earlier post also touched on the subject of parent perceptions of their children’s dental health. Half of parents surveyed say that they are doing a better job of teaching their kids about oral health than their own parents. Yet a quarter of respondents say that their children do only a “fair” or “poor” job of keeping their mouths clean. Here’s a breakdown of children under age 17:
- 80% avoid flossing
- 70% avoid brushing
- 52% drink too much soda or eat too much candy
- 14% do not clean their braces adequately
I remember an 8 year old patient that came in with such heavy calculus buildup and periodontal inflammation that we were sure he had a systemic condition. You don’t see many children with a mouth like a 50-year old smoker and drinker. Unfortunately, the mother had thrown up her hands long ago and didn’t want to nag him anymore. He needed deep cleaning (and a periodontist) by the age of ten. They never followed through with treatment and moved away long ago. I immediately thought of him while reading these statistics.
Back to the study – with 51 million school hours lost to dental disease (remember Deamonte Driver?), the need to heal and educate is great. I’m waiting for a national advertising campaign or a joint effort with the National Education Association. It doesn’t have to be a Superbowl-ready commercial – just a simple “stop with the sugar and the soda.” It is too late for Halloween but an awful lot of candy is consumed during Easter. What about a public outreach regarding the Give Kids A Smile campaign?
We can and should do more. Many individual dentists educate their patients using newsletters and in-office education. It’s preaching to the choir – let’s reach the public that doesn’t make it into the office. A dentist can’t do it on his or her own. Membership in associations such as the American Dental Association is meant to give dentists a collective voice. Let’s use it.
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You’re right, many individual dentists educate their patients using newsletters and in-office education; for instance Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry in my case.