Today’s day and age is witnessing an increased amount of oral health problems in all individuals. The same is even more serious in case of children as we are seeing more children with severe dental decay and sometimes at a very young age ( children as young as 1-2 years of age) The experience of dental caries ( dental decay ) in some groups of children is nearly 100%.
This has occurred due to myriad reasons , ranging from typical decay causing diets to poor oral habits and lack of information as related to preventive options and treatment modalities. Many people are unaware that oral health protocols need to be followed from the eruption of the first tooth and sustained later to achieve a healthy mouth.
There is a dedicated branch of Dentistry that deals with the Oral health of the child where almost all protocols have prevention of oral disease as their main goal. This is the field of PEDIATRIC AND PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY .The advantage is that the field can intervene and correct dental problems at the beginning itself and attempt to institute and inculcate preventive aspects in such a way that the child can retain natural components through life.
The Branch of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry deals exclusively with the oral and dental problems of the child and adolescent. In addition the field deals with similar problems in the medically compromised child as well as the child who is challenged( mentally or physically ) The aspect of preventive dentistry is at the core of all pediatric dental procedures, however it also encompasses procedures which are purely preventive in nature like fluoride applications, fissure sealants and use of re-mineralizing pastes. To achieve a caries free generation by judicious use of information and preventive methods is the larger aim of this branch of dentistry.