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Dental Health for Children
Healthy and strong teeth are an important part of child health. Here you'll find information on everything from how to encourage children to look after their teeth and prevent dental decay to information on specific dental problems.
Reviewed January 2012
Related HealthInsite Topics
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to information about babies´ teeth and teething issues.
Systematic Reviews of Dental Treatments for Children
HealthInsite Topic Page
Links to systematic reviews of the evidence for the effectiveness of dental treatments for children.
42 Resources Found
| Title: | Toothbrushing - start it young |
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| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Get your child to brush their teeth every day from around 18 months of age. This will encourage a habit of brushing teeth. You will need to help your child brush until they are old enough to do it themselves, usually around the age of six to seven years. Encourage your child to spit out, not swallow, toothpaste. |
| Date: | Dec 2011 |
| Title: | Dental sealants |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Dental sealants are protective coatings applied to teeth that are at risk of decay. Although tooth decay in children has decreased, preventable decay still occurs. Combined with drinking fluoridated tap water and using a toothpaste with fluoride, sealants will virtually eliminate decay in the permanent teeth of many children. Sealants are safe and painless. |
| Date: | Nov 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - fluoride |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Fluoride is found naturally in the earth and in water in most parts of the world - but in many places in Australia there is very little fluoride in the water. |
| Date: | Oct 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - dental care for children |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Teeth are some of your children's most important possessions. How you look after their teeth from the time they are babies will make a difference to how they grow and how healthy they are. |
| Date: | Oct 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - decay and erosion |
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| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Tooth decay can start as a small white spot on the tooth, which is hard to see. Tooth erosion happens when acids damage and dissolve the layers of enamel. |
| Date: | Oct 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - protecting your teeth |
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| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Teeth can be damaged when you are playing most sports like basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, football, netball, roller blading, or skate boarding. Wearing a mouthguard can protect your teeth. |
| Date: | Aug 2011 |
| Title: | Dental decay among Australian children |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
| Description: | The Child Dental Health Survey 2005-06 provides information on the oral health of children attending school dental services in Australia, and shows that decay is relatively common in Australian children. Nearly half children aged 5-6 years (48.7%) had a history of dental decay in the deciduous teeth (also known as baby teeth). |
| Date: | Jul 2011 |
| Title: | Dental care - fluoride |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Fluoride is a mineral found in food, water, plants and toothpaste. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and drinking fluoridated water helps protect teeth against decay. |
| Date: | May 2011 |
| Title: | Tooth loss in children |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Baby teeth (milk teeth) are important even though they eventually fall out. Baby teeth allow the child to chew food, and they reserve the spaces in gum tissue for future adult teeth. Knocked-out adult teeth can be saved if they are properly cared for. |
| Date: | May 2011 |
| Title: | Medicare teen dental plan |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Medicare Australia |
| Description: | The Medicare teen dental plan program aims to make it more affordable for families to keep their teenagers teeth in good health. |
| Date: | Jan 2012 |
| Title: | Teeth development in children |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Children's teeth development begins while the baby is in the womb. Teething usually occurs between the ages of six and nine months. Children usually have their full set of 20 primary teeth (milk teeth, baby teeth or deciduous teeth) by the age of three years. At about the age of six years, the first permanent teeth erupt. |
| Date: | Apr 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - what are they? |
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| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Have you ever really thought about why people need teeth? They might be more important than you think. |
| Date: | Apr 2011 |
| Title: | Tips for healthy meals and snacks |
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| Publisher: | Multicultural Health Communication Service |
| Description: | A dental care fact sheet on healthy meals and snacks to encourage good eating habits in children. |
| Date: | Apr 2011 |
| Title: | Dental checks |
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| Publisher: | Multicultural Health Communication Service |
| Description: | A fact sheet on starting dental checks for children. |
| Date: | Apr 2011 |
| Title: | Dental health of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory: findings from the Closing the Gap Program |
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| Publisher: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
| Description: | This report details the oral health of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory who have received dental services as part of the Closing the Gap Initiative. |
| Date: | Mar 2011 |
| Title: | Tooth Diseases in Children |
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| Publisher: | HealthInsite Topic Page |
| Description: | Links to information about tooth diseases in children. |
| Date: | Mar 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - give your child's teeth a healthy start |
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| Publisher: | Child and Youth Health - CYH (South Australia) |
| Description: | Information from the South Australian Dental Service about keeping your child's teeth and gums healthy. |
| Date: | Feb 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth - orthodontic treatments |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Dental braces are an effective way to correct problems like an overbite or protruding ('buck') teeth. Orthodontic treatment is suitable for people of all ages and generally involves the use of fixed braces and a retaining plate. How long you need to wear them depends on the problem and your age. |
| Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Title: | Teeth care |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Better Health Channel |
| Description: | Dental (tooth) decay is caused by poor toothbrushing routines and frequent snacking on sugary foods throughout the day. Good oral hygiene and regular visits to a dentist or other oral health professional will help maintain healthy teeth and gums. Fluoridated drinking water and toothpastes help reduce dental decay. Wear a mouthguard, helmet or faceguard to prevent injury to the teeth during sport. |
| Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Title: | Trends in access to dental care among Australian teenagers |
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| Publisher: | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) |
| Description: | The trends in dental care among Australian teenagers from 1994-2008 are investigated in this report, drawn from the National Dental Telephone Interview Survey (NDTIS) conducted in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. It compares the services received by those eligible for public dentistry and those who are not. |
| Date: | Nov 2010 |
