Survey Reveals Poor Oral Hygiene Habits in US Children

Delta Dental has published the results of a new survey to raise awareness about the importance of oral health in children. The survey indicates relatively poor oral care behavior in under 12-year-olds that contributes to many American children having cavities

According to Delta Dental, only 28 percent of U.S. parents would give their children an A grade

Although it is recommended that children brush and see a dentist as soon as the first tooth erupts, 63 percent of the parents interviewed stated that they began brushing once there were a few teeth or even a full set of teeth. In addition, 46 percent of parents with children under the age of 3 said that they put their child to bed with a bottle or sippy cup containing milk or juice, two beverages containing considerable amounts of sugar, at least once a week.

These figures suggest that parents may be contributing to their children's poor oral health condition, which could cause serious dental diseases, such as tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the most common chronic disease of children aged 6–11 in the U.S.

The 2015 Delta Dental Children's Oral Health Survey was conducted by Kelton, a global insights firm. Interviews were conducted nationally via e-mail with 1,325 parents of children up to age 12 from December 2014 to January 2015.

National Children's Dental Health Month is celebrated each February. It is sponsored by the American Dental Association and aims to educate adults and children on good oral hygiene

habits at an early age and the importance of scheduling regular dental visits for children.
for oral health. About 86 percent stated that their children's oral health status is not as good as it could be. Although over 50 percent of the participants said that they think that oral care habits―rather than genetics or diet―contribute most to oral health, over 30 percent of the children did not brush twice a day and over 60 percent did not floss on a daily basis.


How would you grade your kids? Comment Below!

Reposted from: http://www.dental-tribune.com/articles/news/americas/22001_survey_reveals_poor_oral_hygiene_habits_in_us_children.html

Tooth Fairy is Posting Big Gains!

WASHINGTON — Business in booming for the tooth fairy, who left $225 million under pillows in 2014 — a 25 percent increase over her 2013 generosity, according to a poll from Delta Dental.
Delta Dental — a dental plan system — released its Original Tooth Fairy Poll that averages the monetary value of tooth fairy gifts and compares it to stock market activity. The poll found the tooth fairy bestowed $255 million in 2014 for teeth and averaged $4.36 per tooth.
Also, when considering the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, “both the average tooth fairy gift and the S & P 500 posted double-digit gains for the third year in a row, with 24.6 percent and 11.4 percent increases respectively,” the poll found.

The Original Tooth Fairy Poll tracks the monetary value of tooth fairy gifts and compares it to stock market activity. (Courtesy Delta Dental)

The fairy’s 2014 gift amounts were a bump up from the year earlier. The tooth fairy averaged $3.50 per lost tooth in 2013, the poll found.
First-time tooth losers can sink their teeth into gifts averaging $5.75 in 2014, according to the poll.
Delta Dental says the poll has generally been a good indicator of the economy’s overall direction.
“As leaders in the dental benefits industry, we keep our eye on all kinds of economic indicators, and the tooth fairy’s record giving tracks with big gains in the major stock indexes in 2014,” Jennifer Elliott, vice president of marketing at Delta Dental Plans Association, said in a news release.
The poll found that there were differences in the average gift for a tooth based on parents’ ages and geography.
Children with parents under the age of 35 received an average of $5.40 per tooth. Parents between 35 and 44 averaged $4.24 per tooth, and children with parents older than 45 received an average of $2.45 per tooth.

When it comes to geography, children in the South had a little bit more jingle in their pockets. The poll found that Southern children received an average of $5.16 per tooth. Children in the West received an average of $4.68; Northeast children averaged $4.16; and those in the Midwest averaged $2.83.
Delta Dental surveyed more than 1,000 primary caregivers via email to get the results for the poll. The sample was designed to capture a broad spectrum of the U.S. population, not just those with dental insurance, Delta Dental notes.

Reposted from: http://wtop.com/consumer-news/2015/02/poll-tooth-fairy-posting-big-gains-25-percent-increase-tooth-value/

FDA Updates Position on Amalgam Fillings

CHICAGO — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denied three petitions to ban or consumer advisory on dental amalgam fillings Jan. 27 to more clearly reflect its position.
 In doing so, FDA strongly reaffirmed its position that amalgam is a safe and effective dental material.  As part of its response to the petitions, FDA thoroughly reviewed the current science and updated its
“The FDA continues to leave the decision about dental treatment right where it needs to be—between the dentist and the patient,” states ADA President Dr. Maxine Feinberg. “The ADA encourages dentists and patients to discuss treatment options to help patients make educated decisions regarding their dental care. I am very pleased that dentists and patients will continue to have access to the full range of safe and effective dental restorative materials and treatment options.
The FDA concluded in 2009 that dental amalgam was a safe and effective dental material and issued a final rule, which the ADA supported. The FDA categorizes encapsulated dental amalgam as a class II medical device, placing it in the same class as gold and tooth-colored composite fillings.  The ADA has supported a class II designation for dental amalgam since 2002 when first proposed by the FDA.

Dental amalgam is a cavity-filling material made by combining mercury with other metals such as silver, copper and tin. Numerous scientific studies conducted over the past several decades, including two large clinical trials published in the April 2006 Journal of the American Medical Association, indicate dental amalgam is a safe, effective cavity-filling material. And, in its 2009 review of the scientific literature on amalgam safety, the ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairs reaffirmed that the scientific evidence continues to support amalgam as a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients.


Reposted from: http://www.ada.org/en/press-room/news-releases/2015-archive/january/fda-updates-consumer-advisory