Importance of Oral Health in a Child Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Importance of Oral Health in a Child - Essay Example Although the accidental cause due to injury or abrasion could not be controlled, tooth decay could be prohibited and avoided. The care for primary teeth has not given emphasis because of the fact that primary teeth are just temporary and will be replaced later by permanent teeth. For this reason, tooth decay among children is not new. Bacterial respiration or acids from the diet could cause tooth decay in children. The oral hygiene and care, and diet of the child could highly influence the rate and occurrence of tooth decay. Mahoney and Kilpatrick stated that oral medications such as mouthwash and toothpaste affect the rate of tooth decay. The high acidity and the presence of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), which is known as dematerializing agent, in mouthwash makes the mouthwash a possible cause of tooth wear. Their study also showed that the low pH of medicine such as asthma medicine of children increased tooth wear. Furthermore, they mentioned that the abrasion caused by brushing of teeth followed by intake of relatively acidic beverages showed an increase rate of tooth decay. According to Marsh all et al., there are high occurrences of tooth caries to children who have frequent consumption of soda pops as compared to milk and 100% pure fruit juice.