Each February, the American Dental Association dedicates its support to National Children’s Dental Health Month, aiming to increase awareness about the significance of oral health. These tips can be applied throughout the year to safeguard your child’s dental well-being.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children, even more common than asthma, hay fever, and childhood obesity. Fortunately, there are various preventive measures against tooth decay, such as brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, consuming fluoridated water, regular dental check-ups, and avoiding sugary foods and beverages.
Often, families are not aware that many drinks contain a large amount of natural or added sugar. That’s why it’s important to read the nutrition facts label to see how much sugar is in a drink. The first few ingredients listed on the label are the ones that appear in the largest amounts. If sugar is listed as one of the first three ingredients, the drink is likely high in sugar.
Some drinks with added sugar as one of the top three ingredients include flavored milk (chocolate, strawberry and vanilla), non-diet soda, fruit drinks (fruit punch and juice cocktails), and energy or sports drinks.
Consider the following tips when selecting and serving drinks to children to foster good oral health:
- Provide children with plain, fluoridated water throughout the day.
- For children over 12 months offer milk during meal and snack times.
- If children use a sippy cup, limit its contents to water or milk only. Most children can transition to a regular cup by the age of 12 to 14 months.
- Delay the introduction of juice until a child is 12 months old. Limit daily juice intake for children aged 1 to 3 to no more than four ounces of 100 percent fruit juice. Children aged 4 to 6 can have between four and six ounces per day.
- Avoid putting children to bed with a bottle or sippy cup. If used, ensure it contains only water.
Additional Resources
- Brain-building Tips for Health Habits – Download this Vroom tip for ways to keep your child’s teeth healthy and build their brain at the same time. (Source: Child Care Aware of America and Vroom)
- Healthy Habits for Happy Smiles – This series of handouts for pregnant women and parents of infants and young children provides simple tips on oral health issues. Head Start and Early Head Start staff are encouraged to share the handouts with families to promote good oral health. (Source: HeadStart)
