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Less than one percent of healthy children receive dental care as recommended by 12 months of age. The Canadian Dental Association recommends that children see a dentist within six months of their first baby tooth appearing or by age one, whichever comes first.

Those most in need of dental care were least likely to receive it, researchers found - based on a survey of 2,500 families in Toronto with children around four years of age. Low family income, bottle use during the day or night beyond 15 months of age, and drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with increased risk of getting cavities, Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St.Michaels Hospital in Toronto and his co-authors found.

The complications of poor dental health in children are significant, including pain that can lead to difficulties eating, poor nutrition and poor growth, difficulties sleeping, difficulties with behaviour, infections, and low self-esteem, said Dr. Anne Rowan-Legg, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario who wrote a position statement on oral health. "There's a common misconception that cavities in early teeth that later fall out are not an issue," Rowan-Legg said.

To get your young one(s) started on a life-long oral wellness journey, give us a call to book an appointment today!

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Dentist St. Albert