In accordance with a new study in young children, certain social and psychological factors increase the risk of tooth decay. The study was performed by the researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada, who for two years, had been keeping track of 132 kindergarten children, among whom about a half had tooth decay.Decay was linked with three factors:
- "High levels of decay-causing bacteria."
- "High levels of a hormone called cortisol."
- "A family income below poverty level."
The children who had the decay were found to have high levels of a decay-causing bacteria in their mouths. We must also take into account the fact that they had high levels of cortisol (which is released by the body in response to stress) in their saliva. Cortisol helps in the body's digesting of sugars. In addition, the researchers who made the study examined all baby teeth that were normally lost during that period of time.
In conclusion, researchers found that children with more cortisol in their saliva had baby teeth with thinner and softer enamel.
Source: "Social Science and Medicine" Journal.
Oh, stress may cause tooth decay among children! This would mean that proper oral hygiene like brushing is really important! Usually, this is the advice of most dentists in order to avoid any dental problem. Also, visiting a dentist is important too, for monitoring the dental health of your children and for preventing any dental problem.
ReplyDeleteLoretta John
Children should enjoy taking care of their teeth. They should also develop routines to maintain proper dental hygiene for prevention of baby tooth decay.Children need to learn how to floss their teeth which usually begins the parent helping them learn.
ReplyDeleteHelp a young child brush at night-the most important time to brush, due to lower salivary flow and higher susceptibility to cavities and tooth decay. Perhaps let the child brush their teeth first to build self-confidence, then the parent can follow up to ensure that all plaque is removed.
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