Tooth-Friendly Nutrition
On February 28, 2013 I attended a Sacramento Valley Dental Hygiene Component Meeting. They had a guest speaker by the name of Cathy Hester Seckman R.D.H. She presented a continuing education program titled, "Gimme That Ding-Dong! Tooth-Friendly Nutrition For Children And Parents."
Summary
As a hygienist it is important to educate parents about nutrition. What a child eats can affect their oral health. Many children suffer from early childhood caries. Eary childhood caries is defined as having at least one cavity before the age of six. Today one fourth of the children under the age of six have decay (cavities) in their mouth. Many things can contribute to this decay. These include extended bottle feeding/breast feeding on demand, strept mutans transmissible from the mother, low birth weight, sippy cup use, poor nutrition, low economic status, poor oral hygiene, and minority status. As a hygienist it is important to ask parents questions regarding the health of their children. It is important to ask if their water contains fluoride,the frequency of snacking, types of snacks, if they drink sweetend beverages, if they have eating disorders, are they on any medications (that may cause xerostomia), do they have any chronic conditions, their overall diet quality, if they take vitamins/ minerals, or if they use bottles or pacifiers?
Many parents do not know enough about nutrition. Seckman (2013) once had a patient say, "Sometimes Brayden doesn't like what we are eating for supper so he eat Ding Dongs." Parents may not realize that what they are feeding their children is bad for their teeth. There are many ingredients listed on packages that they might not realize are sugars. Some examples include, maltose, sorghum, and high fructose corn syrup. It is important that parents realize that sugars and fermentable carbs cause an acid attack on their childrens teeth. This can make it easier for cavities to form.
Hygienists need to educate parents on the good snacks their children can eat. These snacks include plain yogurt, cheese, hard fruit, raisins, nuts, seeds, sugar free candy, and raw veggies. Chocolate can be considered a good snack because it doesn't aggreigate on the teeth and it encourages oral clearance. Parents should also know what is considered a bad snack. Some examples of these would be power drinks, soda, chips, and pretzels. Along with diet a parent should make toothbrushing a priority. If a hygienist can get a parent to follow their recommendations it will make a big difference in the oral health of their children.
Reflection
I was very happy that I went to this meeting. The information that I learned will help with my job as a hygienist and my job as a mother. I will be able to use the information that I learned to help with the oral health of my kids and I can use the information to help educate my patients and their children. Nutritonal counseling has already been included as part of our curriculm in school. This meeting elaborated on some of the topics we have already covered. I hope that I can use this information to make a difference in the lives of many children.
Reference
Seckman, C. (2013). Personal correspondence.