by Dr. Joseph R. Greenberg
Children, especially young children, are the
least powerful beings in our society. They
begin life completely dependent on parents
or caregivers and a safe and nurturing environment
to survive. In many third-world countries, the survival
rates of newborn children is low. When one
thinks of a third-world country, thoughts may go far
overseas to sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia,
but there is a third-world country right here at
home--in parts of many of our great cities such as
New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles and Philadelphia
as well as other areas often unseen or forgotten.
For these children there, the threat to survival
is real. Growing up is hazardous and finding a path
to a better life can be an extraordinary challenge.
I believe that the future of this country is a
function of the prosperity of its offspring. We
depend very heavily on nurtured, healthy young
children to grow up making positive choices
about personal health and nutrition, family values,
life style, work, morality and ethics. Children's
health is paramount.
PEDIATRIC ORAL HEALTH
Did you know that the most common chronic childhood
illness in the United States (and the rest of the
World) today is tooth decay? Nearly 53 million hours
of school time are lost annually here due to dental
pain/infection. The most frequent reason a child presents
to a hospital emergency room in the U.S. is oral
pain/infection. Some unfortunate consequences of
untreated oral disease are substance abuse, unemployment,
social dysfunction, related crime, violence
and even death. The good news, however, is that
nearly 100 percent of oral disease is preventable.
ORAL HEALTH LITERACY
The most important single determinant in a person’s
health is genetics--the key is learning how
best to deal with what mom and dad have given us.
Second is health literacy. According to the American
Medical Association, poor health literacy is a
stronger predictor of an individual’s health than
age, income, employment status, educational level
or race. Oral health literacy is defined as the degree
to which individuals have the capacity to obtain,
process, and understand the basic health information
and services needed to make appropriate
decisions about their oral health. Experts from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have asserted that
the most important health care system in the world
is a mother. When the mother’s health literacy
improves, the entire family benefits. This is emphatically
true with childhood oral health. Mothers who
learn how to improve oral care and how to prevent
oral disease for their children can re-write their family
history on tooth decay. Yes, some people are
more cavity prone than others and this does have a
genetic component, but knowing this, the mother or
caretaker of the household can turn it all around.
The key is prevention.
PREVENTION WITH XYLITOL
One of the simplest and most impactful ways to
improve oral health is with xylitol. We are so fortunate
today to have this completely natural very
effective weapon against oral disease. Xylitol is a
five-carbon sugar that is found in small quantities
in our bodies, but more widely in nature. When
decay-forming bacteria (Streptococcus mutans
and lactobacilli) are forced to consume xylitol
rather than glucose or fructose, they cannot make
the acids that attack our tooth enamel nor the
sticky mucopolysaccharides that foster their adhesion
to plaque/biofilm and tooth surfaces. A critical
daily consumption level of five grams of xylitol can
be obtained by the use of toothpastes, infant
wipes, chewing gums, mints, syrups and mouth
sprays of sufficient labeled quantity.
So, be sure to pick up that toothbrush and
squeeze on the xylitol toothpaste for yourself and your
loved ones. If you or your children chew gum, choose
a brand with xylitol prominently on the wrapper. If you
are pregnant or a new mother, this is even more
important. Consult with your dentist and/or pediatrician
for more oral health preventive information. Let
credible science and information light your way to better
oral health, and better overall health will follow.
Dr. Joseph R. Greenberg is
trained in periodontics
and fixed
prosthodontics/
periodontal
prosthesis from
the University
of Pennsylvania
School of Dental Medicine, where
he has taught for over 35 years and
holds the rank of Clinical Professor
of Periodontics. He is also Clinical
Professor of Restorative Dentistry
at Temple University’s Kornberg
School of Dentistry.
Resources
Look for Spry® mints, gum, candy,
toothpaste, tooth gel and oral mist
at health retailers nationwide. Called
their “Dental Defense” system, Spry
uses only xylitol to sweeten their
products. Spry products are created
by Xlear, Inc. For more information,
call 877-599-5327 or visit
www.xlear.com. Also, look for
XyloSweet®, also
from Xlear, Inc., as
a sugar replacement
to use in food products
and beverages!
Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.
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