Having a healthy smile for a child is necessary. They have to give performances for several acts in their school, and who doesn’t love children with their innocent hearts melting beautiful smiles? Dental Healing Arts provides excellent ways to maintain children’s oral health and spread awareness about how it can secure their attractive smile for adulthood.
Overall health and oral health
Cavities aren’t the only unpleasant dental problem; gingivitis and periodontal disease are widespread. The jaw and teeth can suffer from infection and gum disease. The most common cause of these problems is insufficient or incorrect dental care. It might be challenging to spot gingivitis and periodontal disease in its early stages.
- Most cases of gum disease are of the gingivitis variety. Red, swollen gums that bleed readily when brushing or flossing are classic symptoms of gingivitis.
- Pregnant women are more susceptible to developing gingivitis because of the hormonal shifts that make their gums more porous to infection.
- Gingivitis may often be treated by regularly brushing twice daily and flossing.
- If gingivitis is not treated, it might lead to severe problems with the jawbone. Bone loss surrounding the teeth can occur in mild cases of periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease, from its mildest to most severe form, is characterized by tooth pain, changes in gum color (purple, receding gums), and teeth that appear longer than usual. Bone loss can be slowed or even stopped by maintaining routine dental checkups.
Diseases that can affect children’s and adolescent’s oral health
Tooth and gum problems are common among school-aged children and teens. This chapter focuses on tooth decay (dental caries) because of its prevalence and global significance. Injuries to the mouth and Noma (a debilitating gangrene affecting orofacial soft and hard tissues with high mortality) are significant yet undertreated oral illnesses. Simple malocclusions, oral mucosa lesions that are often symptoms of other systemic diseases, congenital malformations, fluorosis of teeth in areas with high fluoride concentrations in drinking water, and simple gingivitis and periodontitis are just some of the other oral diseases that are only briefly discussed in other books.
Tooth decay
- Nearly 3.1 billion people get dental decay every year. Tooth decay was reported to be the most frequent health condition affecting adults and the ninth most common health problem impacting children in the Global Burden of Disease study.
- The incidence of cavities increases with income and decreases in low-income communities. By age 12, between 40 and 90 percent of children living in low- and middle-income countries would have experienced tooth decay. A child is at risk for cavities as soon as they receive their first teeth.
- Anyone can experience a painful tooth at any time. The impact of untreated dental decay on a child’s growth and nutrition might extend to the child’s mental health and academic performance.
Noma
The complex and soft tissues of the mouth and face are vulnerable to the devastation of Noma. The destruction caused by Noma quickly spreads from one area to another. Although extremely rare, this sickness has a terrible impact on those who contract it, with a fatality rate of 70% to 90%. Those who manage to survive an event that causes extensive tissue loss may have permanent difficulties communicating and consuming food.
Trauma and oral injuries
Broken jaws, knocked-out teeth, and dislocated jaws are all examples of oral injuries and trauma. Accidents on the road, contact sports injuries, abuse, and acts of violence are only a few of the causes of orofacial trauma. The mouth and teeth comprise less than one percent of the human body yet account for five percent of all injuries. Lip and facial injuries are more prevalent in both sexes’ first decade of life. Head, neck, and shoulder injuries are more common among the elderly, but oral injuries are less common.
