Delayed dental care is an important issue in the U.S. Many parents are unaware of the appropriate age to begin preventive dental care for their children. This article highlights the need for preventive dental care in the adolescent stages and programs focused on decreasing the number of children that are unable to receive
proper care.
Of the 2,505 children around 4 years of age who were surveyed from 2011-13, 39 per cent had never been to a dentist. The children were part of TARGet Kids! (The Applied Research Group for Kids!), a unique collaboration between doctors and researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children. The program follows children from birth with the aim of preventing common problems in the early years and understanding their impact on health and disease later in life. Dr. Maguire's study was published in the journal Pediatrics. The study found never having been to a dentist was associated with younger age, lower family income, prolonged bottle use and higher daily intake of sweetened drinks such as juice. With each one-cup increase in the amount of sweetened drinks consumed daily, the odds of never having visited a dentist increased by 20 per cent.
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