Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
June 2019
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Electronic ISSN:
2515-1746
Vol:
36
Issue:
2

Editorial - How soon is soon enough? The challenge of implementing behaviours conducive to good oral health in at-risk infants and toddlers

10.1922/CDH_ChestnuttJune19editorial02

This commentary is about one of the last great challenges
facing dental public health. It is a problem I will discuss in
a United Kingdom context, but the issues will, I am sure,
be of relevance to all readers of this Journal wherever they
practice. It is a problem that I spent many hours trying to
address when I was in the early stages of my career. Now,
when I am nearer the end than the beginning, it is still a
problem. The issue? Preventing dental decay in those aged
under 3 years old, who in the main, reside in areas of social
and economic disadvantage.
Traditionally, the first epidemiological assessment of oral
health in UK children was undertaken at age 5 years. Starting
school provided an easy first opportunity to conduct representative, epidemiological surveys. Oral health strategies produced
in the 1990s (Department of Health, 1994; The Scottish Office,
1995) all had targets for improved oral health in 5-year-olds
and we have been quite successful in achieving these (Jones
et al., 2017).

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
89
Page End
90
Authors
Ivor G. Chestnutt

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - How soon is soon enough? The challenge of implementing behaviours conducive to good oral health in at-risk infants and toddlers
  2. 89
  3. 90

  1. Patient and professional engagement in the procurement of dental services
  2. 91
  3. 94

  1. A qualitative study on the oral health of humanitarian migrants in Canada
  2. 95
  3. 100

  1. What influences use of dental services by the Korean disabled people? The role of perceived barriers in dental care system
  2. 101
  3. 105

  1. In-school toothbrushing programs in Aboriginal communities in New South Wales, Australia: A thematic analysis of teachers’ perspectives
  2. 106
  3. 110

  1. Relationship between Caregivers’ Oral Health Literacy and their Child’s Caries Experience
  2. 111
  3. 117

  1. What evidence do economic evaluations in dental care provide? A scoping review
  2. 118
  3. 125

  1. The Effectiveness of Reform in the Dental Health Systems of Transitional Countries: The Case of Montenegro Health Reform (pilot study)
  2. 126
  3. 130

  1. Costs of dental care and its financial impacts on patients in a population with low availability of services
  2. 131
  3. 136

  1. Identifying the barriers and facilitators for homeless people to achieve good oral health
  2. 137
  3. 142

  1. Comparison of two measures to determine the oral health-related quality of life in elders with periodontal disease
  2. 143
  3. 149

  1. Transnational corporations and oral health inequalities; an introduction
  2. 151
  3. 151

  1. Political economy, trade relations and health inequalities: lessons from general health
  2. 152
  3. 156

  1. Transnational corporations and oral health: examples from the sugar industry
  2. 157
  3. 162

  1. The Transnational Tobacco Industry and Oral Health
  2. 163
  3. 168

  1. Transnational corporations, oral health and human agency: a sociological perspective
  2. 169
  3. 174