One in two S'pore kids has rotten teeth: Report

By Salma Khalik, The Straits Times, 14 May 2014

MORE than half of all children in Singapore have one or more rotten teeth by the time they start primary school.

This is a worrying trend because bacteria from their milk teeth can affect the development of their permanent teeth.

That is why the Health Promotion Board (HPB) is introducing oral care programmes to pre-primary children, starting in August. HPB said it plans to reach out to children in all childcare centres within five years.

A report on the oral health of schoolchildren found that the proportion of children with dental caries at the age of seven had gone up from 47.6 per cent in 2003, to 50.6 per cent last year.

"If left untreated, decay on the primary (milk) tooth can affect the developing permanent tooth," said School Dental Service senior deputy director Eu Oy Chu. This is because bacteria from the milk tooth can result in an abscess that will spread to the tooth growing under it, she said.

Among seven-year-olds, more foreign children (56 per cent) had caries than local children (51 per cent). Generally, more boys than girls had bad teeth.

One in four Primary 6 pupils last year had caries on the permanent teeth. This is a significant improvement from 2007 when slightly more than one in three had caries. And among 15-year-olds, 41 per cent had caries last year, slightly lower than the 42 per cent in 2007.

Local children continued to have better teeth as they aged than foreigners. By the time they were 15 years old, 59 per cent of local children had no decayed, missing or filled teeth, compared with 57 per cent of foreigners that age.

Eurasians have the most problem-free teeth (71 per cent), followed by Indians (64 per cent), Malays (60 per cent), and Chinese (58 per cent) coming in last.

Dr Matthew Lau, a dental officer with the School Dental Service, told The Straits Times: "We are seeing more children with decayed and filled teeth."

He asks parents if the child takes lots of sweet foods and beverages, if he still falls asleep with a milk bottle, or holds food in his mouth for long periods - all bad habits that lead to tooth decay.

Dr Lau urges parents who give their children sweet treats to do so immediately after a meal rather than any time the child wants. This limits the amount the child takes. He also tells parents they need to brush their child's teeth "until a child develops the dexterity to do a good job on his own".

Usually, a child who can tie his shoelaces should be able to brush his own teeth. But Dr Lau added that parental supervision is still necessary to ensure that the child is doing a good job.

Parents should start taking their children to the dentist when they turn one, or when they get their first tooth, he said.

Ganesh Mohandas, who turns five this month, started brushing his own teeth this year, but his parents would follow up with a second round of brushing to make sure that nothing is missed.

His mother, Mrs R. Mohandas, said they started brushing his teeth from the time he was just six months old.

Never too early to take care of teeth
By Ng Wan Ching, The Straits Times, 14 May 2014

Bad teeth is an increasing problem among young children here, with at least one in two having dental caries at the age of seven, a recent report on the oral health of schoolchildren here showed.

The worry is that bad milk teeth can lead to problems with the development of permanent teeth.

Dentists say parents should take their child along when they go for their own dental checkups, even when the child is too young to have teeth. This helps the child become familiar with the surroundings at a dental clinic and the dentist can also look in the child's mouth in a fun and informal way, count how many teeth have erupted and spot any early signs of decay.

Children may need dental visits more often than adults. This is because milk teeth are smaller and have thinner enamel than permanent teeth, so decay can spread quickly.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), taking care of a child's teeth is important because baby teeth or milk teeth help a child chew food and speak clearly. Milk teeth also hold space so permanent teeth can grow in straight.

Here are eight tips on how to care for a child's milk teeth from the AAFP and the Health Promotion Board:

1. Start at birth and gently wipe the baby's gums with a soft, wet cloth after each feeding.

2. When milk teeth appear, start cleaning them with a soft, child-sized toothbrush twice a day.

3. In children up to four years old, use a small, pea-sized dab of children's fluoride toothpaste to clean the teeth. Do not use too much, as swallowing too much fluoride toothpaste can cause spots on the child's teeth.

4. Consider flossing when all the milk teeth have erupted, usually when the child is around two to three years of age.

5. Do not allow the child to fall asleep with a bottle containing a sweetened liquid other than water.

6. Do not give him a pacifier dipped in anything sweet.

7. Start encouraging him to drink from a cup at six months of age. Whenever juices are offered, let him drink it from a cup.

8. Schedule regular dental visits by the child's first birthday.