Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood and it can cause lasting harm to a child’s oral and general health, with serious influence on social and intellectual development. However, tooth decay is almost entirely preventable! Even though more children are visiting the dentist than ever before, many children still lack access to pediatric dental services and a lot of parents continue to be unaware of the consequences of tooth decay. Some continue to subscribe to age old myths that baby teeth are not important and fall out anyway. It is only when a child has a toothache and suffers in pain that he/she is brought to the dentist. Ideally, children should start dental visits at age 1 to help establish good oral hygiene from an early age.

Dental caries is commonly referred to as cavities or tooth decay. It is a chronic, infectious disease resulting from the interaction of the triad of sugars, bacteria and tooth enamel. Caries among young children, or what is today termed as early childhood caries (ECC), is a particularly rapid form of tooth decay, most often associated with prolonged breast or bottle feeding. Untreated tooth decay can lead to infections, loss of teeth, and emergency dental visits sometimes with the need for dental intervention under general anesthesia.

Professionally, pediatric dentistry includes three years of specialized training and experience after becoming a dentist, emphasizing growth and development, special health care needs, and advanced treatment techniques in hospital settings. Pediatric dentists are geared to allay children’s fears, treat special needs children, and create kid-friendly environments. This specialty is becoming even more important as advances in medicine and dentistry increase life expectancy of children with chronic diseases and congenital problems.