Editorial for DR July 2022 Issue – Pediatric Dentistry Special
A lot of us are interested in pediatric dentistry and have children as walk-in patients at our clinics. Sometimes we can manage them, sometimes we cannot. With so much experience in adult dentistry since dental school, child dentistry is comparatively a lesser touched upon domain. Dentists themselves are sometimes unaware of various conditions and viable treatment options for their little patients, which adds to the existing problem of lack of awareness in parents. To top it, child behavior management or dentistry in special children is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Considering all these issues together, although children have smaller teeth, they pose bigger problems for dentists! With our pediatric dentistry special issue, DentalReach wishes to simplify 6 concepts which fall under the umbrella of pediatric dentistry!
1. Practice management in pediatric dentistry
Pediatric dentistry differs from usual dentistry in that, there exists a treatment triangle, i.e., every treatment compulsorily involves three people – the patient, the dentist and the parent! Therefore the practice management differs too.
For a smooth successful practice, it is imperative to find a common language with both parents and child-patients. Team DentalReach brings to you 10 top success secrets for being an awesome pediatric dentist!
2. Preventive Dentistry
Early childhood caries (ECC) affects 1 in 2 children below the age of 6 years in India. This is an alarming ratio and should call for immediate concern. Preventive strategies for ECC aim to prevent the onset of caries and protect teeth from undesirable effects of caries. As we know, prevention is better than cure!
In 2014, 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) was approved by the FDA for use in children with ECC. SDF combines the antibacterial effects of silver and the remineralizing effects of fluoride and, is therefore a promising agent in both caries prevention and treatment. In this issue, Dr Divya Prahlad waves the modern day magic wand of preventive dentistry called SDF and writes everything you need to know about it to incorporate it into your practice !
3. Inclusive Dentistry
Every child needs routine dental care, but children with special healthcare needs have a higher risk of gum disease, oral trauma, and tooth decay. Doubled with inadequate awareness and limited accessibility, they receive incomplete dental care. Inclusive dentistry, accessible for one and all is therefore, the need of the hour.
In a special 2 part series, Dr Premila Naidu discusses how to make dental clinics accessible for children with special healthcare needs, who usually visit clinics on wheelchairs. A little empathy and design considerations of a dental clinic, can help make the world a better place.
4. Managing pediatric trauma using adhesive dentistry
Studies have shown that 1 out of every 4 persons under the age of 18 will sustain a traumatic anterior crown fracture. However, advancements in adhesive dentistry allow the clinicians to reconstruct the natural tooth of the patient in a minimally invasive way, achieving both esthetic and functional requirements.
Pioneered by Chosak and Eidelman, reattachment of fractured tooth fragment when its available, is one of the best options for managing a fractured anterior tooth. It offers a quick, economic and conservative solution in the same appointment. For our pediatric special issue, Dr Urvashi Tanvar reports a case of pediatric trauma which she treated with a classic fragment reattachment technique.
5. Habit-based dentistry
Oral habits are essentially certain abnormal muscular patterns acquired by the child at a conscious or subconscious level. Once a deleterious habit is identified, treatment should be carefully executed with full cooperation of child.
In this issue, Dr Mriganka Sekhar Ghose discusses oral habits in children and how to get rid of them. However, it is important to note that the success of any habit breaking therapy ultimately depends on patient and parent cooperation.
6. Pediatric dentistry for general dentists
Most of the dental surgeons feel uncomfortable and avoid treating children. This is primarily because most of the dental surgeons lack clinical and behavior management skills required for treating children, along with a lack of awareness of importance of primary teeth and treatment options available.
Now clinical skills and behaviour management required for children must be meticulously learnt over time, but importance of primary teeth and viable treatment options for their little patients can be easily read here in our special issue! Dr Nihal Kothari skillfully simplifes treatment options in pediatric patients for general dentists.
Every child deserves a healthy, beautiful smile and as dentists, we are responsible for ensuring this! I hope after reading this issue, small teeth don’t pose big problems in your practice anymore!
Highlights of July Issue 2022
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Thank you Dr Prapthik! I’m glad you liked it!