The Rise in Cavities Leads to a Rise In Anesthesia Use

Dr. David M. Shipper and Dr. Howard J. Vogel and our team at Central Park West Dental recently read a fascinating article from The New York Times regarding the rise in cavities in preschoolers.

According to the article, "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted an increase, the first in 40 years, in the number of preschoolers with cavities in a study five years ago. But dentists nationwide say they are seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more. The level of decay, they added, is so severe that they often recommend using general anesthesia because young children are unlikely to sit through such extensive procedures while they are awake."

We know our younger pages can be apprehensive about their dental care and treatment and if a child needs a lot of dental work done, anesthesia may be necessary to perform the required procedures. The article states that "there is no central clearinghouse for data on the number of young children undergoing general anesthesia to treat multiple cavities, but interviews with 20 dentists and others in the field of dental surgery suggest that the problem is widespread."

While this problem is widespread, it can be prevented. According to the New York Times article: "Dentists offer a number of reasons so many preschoolers suffer from such extensive dental decay. Though they are not necessarily new, they have combined to create a growing problem: endless snacking and juice or other sweet drinks at bedtime, parents who choose bottled water rather than fluoridated tap water for their children, and a lack of awareness that infants should, according to pediatric experts, visit a dentist by age 1 to be assessed for future cavity risk, even though they may have only a few teeth.

And because some toddlers dislike tooth-brushing, some parents do not enforce it. “Let’s say a child is 1 ½, and the child screams when they get their teeth cleaned,” said Dr. Jed Best, a pediatric dentist in Manhattan. 'Some parents say, ‘I don’t want my little darling to be traumatized.’ The metaphor I give them is, ‘I’d much rather have a kid cry with a soft toothbrush than when I have to drill a cavity.’' "

We encourage to to visit the article to learn more about cavity prevention and the growing problem of cavities in young children. If you have any questions about your child's dental health, don't hesitate to give us a call at the office!