Parenting

Why Are So Many Young Children Getting Cavities?

Why Are So Many Young Children Getting Cavities?

Why Are So Many Young Children Getting Cavities?

Cavities are a common dental issue that children experience. While most parents believe that children should go to the dentist when they're older, it's actually not the case. Children between the ages of 2 and 5-years-old are more at risk for cavities in their teeth.

According to a CDC report, approximately 28% of children between the ages of 2-years-old and 5-years-old are commonly found with cavities. A decade ago, this percentage was just 22%, which is a 6% increase.

There could be several reasons for why children get cavities this young. Some parents may think that this is because children do not brush or floss as much as adults or teenagers. While this is true, tooth decay can have other direct causes, such as germs that are commonly spread in families and chronic illnesses like asthma and juvenile diabetes.

In the United States, four million preschoolers are diagnosed with tooth decay, which is over 600,000 more kids in the past decade. So why is this happening?

Paul Casamassimo, DDS is a professor of pediatric dentistry at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. According to him, children "have much more sugar in their diets at an early age." Another contributor to this problem could be water bottles, which doesn't normally contain fluoride.

Frequent cavities can have a few causes, a group of germs known as mutans stroptococous is just one of them. Parents advisor Burton Edelstein, DDS, and the founding director of the Children's Dental Health Project, states, "The bacteria feed on sugar and produce acid that eats away at the structure of teeth by depleting calcium." This bacteria creates plaques, which is a yellowish film that develops over the teeth and contains an acid that works to erode enamel. When plaque build up into a large enough area, the tooth develops a cavity.

Read on to learn more about why young children are at a high risk for cavities.

CDC found these stats with two national health studies

The CDC's finding is based on the analysis of data from two national health studies in which the participants were interviewed and dental check up performed to assess the oral health. The first study on 26,000 U.S civilians was conducted from 1994-2004. The second study was conducted from 2004 to 2014 and included more than 25,000 participants. Data regarding the oral health from the two studies were compared to observe the pattern.

In this report, everyone in these groups had better oral health. Except children between 2 to 5 years of age.

The report shows that the overall oral health of the Americans improved from 1994-2004. However, there was a notable decrease in the dental cavities for all age groups except the children between 2-years-old and 5-years-old. It also shows that there is a decrease in the number of seniors who are losing all their teeth. But the report does not explain the reason for the increase in dental cavities in children between 2-years-old and 5-years-old. It does mention that boys, non-Hispanic whites, and youths from low economic families are particularly affected.

“This study clearly shows that when the nation is trying to make improvements in the overall dental health, it still remains a cause of concern in some of the racial and ethnic groups, who have more tooth decay than other groups," says Bruce Dye, DDS, MPH from CDC.

Why the high numbers? Babies can be infected by their parents.

Normally, babies are born without this harmful bacteria in their mouths. But studies have shown that mothers can directly infect their children before the age of two (more than dads). This bacteria is transferred through saliva, and this occurrence is a lot more common than you think.

How many times do you feed your baby with the same spoon you use? Or teach them how to brush their teeth with your own toothbrush? These are just a couple of ways saliva can be transferred to your infant. If you have an issue with cavities yourself, you are likely to be passing these germs along to your child. Once these mutans colonize within your child's mouth, they are more likely to get cavities and teeth that can cause them pain. They may even have difficulty eating, which could indicate a condition known as "soft teeth." According to Dr. Edelstein, "It's an old wives' tale that 'soft teeth' run in families, but what's really passed along in families are high levels of decay-causing bacteria."