Dentaltown March 2021 - 42

cultural anthropology at Duke University,
which opened my eyes to how people from
other cultures interact with health care.
While earning my master's in maternal
and child health, it became clear to me
that good health starts in the womb. I had
a " light bulb moment " when I realized that
pediatric dentistry would allow me to help
children begin a lifetime of positive oral
health habits and support those born with
certain risk factors.

Family dentists have an opportunity to
support both women of reproductive
age and expectant moms by making
sure they understand that their overall
health, including their oral health, has
a direct impact on their baby's teeth. "
Today, my scope of interest has expanded,
and I see oral health from a variety of
perspectives, including overall public health,
the cultural and nutritional environment of
our patients, and the developmental growth
and needs of the individual child sitting in
my chair. I also view it as a mother of two
children myself.

Everything starts in the womb
The more I've learned and practiced, the
more it's evident that pediatric dentistry is
about more than baby teeth. Children born
to mothers who have poor oral hygiene or
are in poor health may be at risk for a variety
of future general and oral health problems.
Moreover, while a child's diet is responsible
for 95% of caries,1 some oral problems
have their root cause in utero. As dentists,

42

we need to monitor these problems and
collaborate with our cohorts in the health
care community to manage their treatment.
You can draw a straight line between
the mother's health and the future health,
growth and development of the child she is
carrying, because the baby's teeth begin to
develop in utero at just six weeks.

How family dentists can help
Family dentists have an opportunity
to support both women of reproductive
age and expectant moms by making sure
they understand that their overall health-
including their oral health-has a direct
impact on their baby's teeth.
When the opportunity arises, dentists can chat about everything from the
roles of nutrition and lifestyle to how
a lactation consultant can help a mom
through breastfeeding challenges. They
can provide guidance about teething and
let parents know that they can reach out
to a pediatric dentist, who has a wealth of
resources to offer.
It isn't unusual for parents to ask their
family dentist about their worries. Dentists
are often the first people to hear about
teething, sleeping or feeding concerns, or
that teeth might be missing or are erupting
in an abnormal pattern. General dentists
also have first-mirror knowledge of the
parent's dental history. Any time a general
dentist hears about teeth concerns with a
child or red flags in genetic history, it is an
opportunity to engage and refer the patient
to a pediatric dental specialist.

We are part of the larger
health care community
General dentists have the opportunity
to remind those in their patient care teams
about the importance of oral health for
children and that the first dental visit
should take place at just 1 year of age.

MARCH 2021 // dentaltown.com

DT0321_Anamelechi_Pediatric_MM.indd 42

2/18/21 4:56 PM
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown March 2021
