MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Tooth decay is still the most common chronic childhood disease that will not resolve without treatment. Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Total health, both physical and mental, is enhanced through good dental health habits learned early and reinforced throughout life.
With these facts in mind, the American Dental Association has declared February as Children's Dental Health Month.
All Naval Dental Center Southwest dental commands, including Branch Dental Clinic Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, wholeheartedly support the ADA in this endeavor.
"Children's dental health is extremely important, and Children's Dental Health Month is a worthwhile event," said Cmdr. Jerome McSwain, clinic director, MCRD Dental. "We will allocate time and personnel to contact
children and parents in our community with the good news of oral hygiene."
MCRD Dental plans to attempt to contact 1,200 children in February, by providing toothbrushes, dental floss, oral hygiene instruction, classroom presentations, healthy smile coloring sheets and a poster contest.
Since 1941, the observance has grown from a two-city event into a nationwide program.
The annual observance of children's dental health began as a one-day event in Cleveland Feb. 3, 1941. During that year, Feb. 3 to Feb. 7 was designed as Children's Dental Health Week in Akron, Ohio.
The ADA held the first national observance of Children's Dental Health Day Feb. 8, 1949. The single-day observance became a week-long event in 1955. In 1981, the program was extended to a month-long celebration known today as National Children's Dental Health Month. National messages reach millions of people in communities across the country and at numerous armed service bases abroad.
Children's smiles can remain healthy with regular dental checkups and good oral hygiene.
Here are some tips to ensure children's healthy smiles will last a lifetime:
• The ADA recommends a visit to the dentist within six months of the eruption of the first tooth, and no later than the child's first birthday.
• Never allow an infant to nurse continuously from a bottle of milk, formula, sugar water or fruit juice during naps or at night. Serious "baby bottle tooth decay" can be a result.
• Parents need to brush and floss their child's teeth as soon as they come in. Children can learn to do this for themselves at about age 7.
• When a child's permanent molars come in, ask about sealants if the pits and fissures in the teeth are deep.
• Allow children to chew only sugarless gum. Avoid lollipops and other sticky candy.
• If a child plays sports, make sure he or she always wears a mouth guard.
For any additional information, contact Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen by calling the MCRD Dental front desk at (619) 524-4009.