Improving children's dental health.

Surveys show that tooth decay in young children is becoming concentrated in more deprived sectors of the population. Only by targeting families with young children in underprivileged areas will dental health be improved further. An analysis of dental health promotion advice has shown that simple, direct advice to "brush teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste" is just as effective as complicated health promoting activities. Questions about the development of the teeth and oral structures are common among new parents but they rarely turn to the dental team for answers. Nurses, health visitors and midwives are very much in the front line because of their work with young families. Dental health advice for families with young children, delivered by community health professionals including health visitors and midwives, may be the key to tackling inequalities in oral health in young children.