By David Kipkorir
A paediatric dentist has said that every child should visit a dentist by the age of one or as soon as the first tooth appears.
Dr. Nduguyu Kerre from Dentmind Dental Center emphasized that the visit teaches parents and caregivers how to care for their children’s teeth and help them remain cavity-free.
He said oral hygiene is very important for children so they’ll bring good habits with them into adulthood.
“Without proper dental care, children will face possible oral decay and disease that can cause a lifetime of pain and complications,” warned the specialist.
He said the effects of oral diseases on children’s general are worrying.
“Due to lack of information and limited financial resources, early prevention of dental diseases is still a challenge to many Kenyans,” he said.
The dentist added that it is important for both children and adults to see a dentist every six months to have preventive treatment done and diagnose disease early.
Kerre believes the first visit to the dentist is an important opportunity for a child to start a life of positive dental care and for parents to get advice on how to keep their children’s teeth healthy and strong.
“Children as young as two and three are being admitted to hospital for extractions under general anaesthetic, we need to reach families early to provide support on prevention”, he said.
In an interview, Dr. Kerre expressed the need for the dental profession to take major steps in realising the ambition of a generation of children who are cavity free.
“Children’s oral health is essential to optimal overall health and minimizing the probability of developing serious oral health conditions or infections in future,” said the specialist.
However, he said many parents are not able to take their children to a dentist.
“Reasons for this include socio-economic circumstances, accessibility and education,” noted Kerre.
Parents ought to consider the short-term cost of children oral health check-ups and oral hygiene procedures as an essential expense rather than a luxury, added Dr. Kerre.
He said oral health among children is an important area that Kenya must focus on in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr Kerre said breastfeeding or bottle feeding on demand, eating sugary foods and lack of brushing the children’s teeth are some of the leading causes of tooth decay among children.
According to Kenya Association of Paediatric Dentists (KAPD), the country has an acute shortage of paediatric dentists.
The dentist-population ratio in Kenya estimated at one dentist for between 60 to 100,000 people, is far much below the World Health Organisation (WHO), recommended ratio of one dentist to a population of seven to 10,000.
During the 2nd Tri-Regional Meeting of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry (IAPD) held January in Nairobi, Dr. Nicholas Gichu, the chairman of KAPD also urged those involved in UHC to ensure that oral health is included.
Dentmind Dental Center not only provides dental procedures, but the young patients are also taught how to clean teeth and maintain high levels of oral hygiene.
The dental center focuses on preventative care for children by keeping their mouths healthy.
