Dentaltown December 2013 - (Page 105)

hygiene and prevention perio reports Pacifier Cleaning by Parents has Benefit for the Child More children today have allergies than ever before. The "Hygiene Hypothesis" suggests that children living in crowded housing, being part of large families, having early contact with pets or farm animals and early exposure to microbes in food have a reduced risk of developing allergies. In the Western world today, parents are more concerned than parents in the past with protecting their children from germs. This overprotection and fear of microbes may be responsible for allergy levels increasing to one in three children in affluent countries. Infants are exposed to the oral microflora of their parents through kissing, sharing the feeding spoon and by the parent putting the pacifier in his or her mouth after it falls on the floor before giving it back to the infant. This sharing of oral flora may be helpful in protecting the child from allergies, asthma and eczema. Researchers in Sweden took saliva samples from nearly 200 four-month-old infants to determine the microbiota. The children were evaluated for allergies at 18 and 36 months of age. Medical histories were taken from the parents as well. Babies born vaginally and whose parents cleaned the pacifier in their mouths before giving it the child were less likely to have allergies, asthma and eczema. The microbial flora found in the saliva of babies whose parents cleaned the pacifier in their own mouths differed from children whose parents rinsed the pacifier off with tap water or cleaned it in boiling water. Transfer of microbes from the parent to the child may trigger a protective immune response in the child. n Perio Reports Vol. 25, No. 12 Departing from our usual research summaries, this month we present summaries of key presentations at the IADR World Oral Health Congress in Budapest, October 9-12, 2013. t www.hygienetown.com Hesselmar, B., Sjöberg, F., Saalman, R., Åberg, N., Adlerberth, I., Wold, A.: Pacifier Cleaning Practices and Risk of Allergy Development. Pediatrics originally published online May 6, 2013. Early Childhood Caries May Actually be Triggered by Enamel Hypoplasia The first 1,000 days in the life of a child, from conception to two years of age are critical in determining health prospects for life. Events happening to the mother during pregnancy will have an impact on developing cells of the fetus. Ameloblasts lay down enamel in eight day cycles, laying down cells for seven days and resting on the eighth day. This pattern can be seen within the enamel layers when analyzed microscopically. Also visible is the date of birth in neonatal lines in both dentin and enamel. Changes within the various layers of enamel tell the story of the child, much like rings in a tree trunk provide evidence of various stressors encountered during a lifecycle. In this case, it's the life cycle of the deciduous tooth. Stressors on the mother that can inhibit ameloblastic function include malnutrition, smoking, celiac disease, infection, fever or other systemic conditions. Early childhood caries occurs around two years of age in normally calcified enamel and earlier in children with hypoplastic enamel. These children show earlier and greater Strep mutan colonization, probably due to the defects in the enamel providing an ideal place for bacterial colonization. Add to this a high carbohydrate, cariogenic diet and you have hypoplasia-assisted severe early childhood caries (HASECC). The "frown" line of enamel hypoplasia reflects the exact time teeth were developing when the mother experienced a significant stress. This would be considered a birth defect in the enamel by the March of Dimes. n Cauflield, P., Li, Y., Bromage, T.: Hypoplasia-associated Severe Early Childhood Caries - A Proposed Definition. J Dent Res 91:(16)544-550, 2012. continued on page 106 dentaltown.com « DECEMBER 2013 105 http://www.hygienetown.com http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown December 2013

Howard Speaks: Best Practices, 2013
Dentaltown.com Highlights
Professional Courtesy: It’s (Always) Showtime
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: Providing Personalized Care in Dentistry
Selling Your Soul to PPOs?
Townie Choice Awards
Hey, Carlsen! I’m Going to Trade Stocks, Time the Market and Beat It!
Long-distance Communication Led to Beautiful Full-mouth Implant Case Results
Ad Index
Product Profile: Dental EHR and Meaningful Use
What’s on Your Tray?
Perio Reports
Profile in Oral Health: Are Your Team Members Indispensable?
Dentally Incorrect
Simplifying the Challenging: The One-tooth Restoration with CEREC
White Smiles in the African Bush
Cycling for Charity

Dentaltown December 2013