Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, P.O. Box 647, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
Br Dent J. 2013 Jun;214(11):E27. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.533.
Dental problems in early childhood can have a very significant effect not only on the oral health of young children but on their quality of life and that of their families. Added to this are the long term risks they carry into the permanent dentition.
To review current literature on the management of early childhood caries and its influence on wider oral and general health.
Recent studies suggest that the risks for dental caries, periodontal disease, malocclusion and other general health problems including overweight and obesity may be increased in children who have had early childhood caries. Traditional restoration of damaged primary teeth has been shown to have only moderate outcomes depending on the techniques and materials used and the ability of children to cooperate because of age or other factors.
More recent interesting approaches that seal enamel caries, only partially remove carious dentine or attempt to entirely seal carious dentine lesions merit not only discussion but also longer term investigation. With increasing demands on health funding, dentistry must look at how the most appropriate care can be provided to allow children to reach adulthood with healthy permanent dentitions - something that less than half the population currently achieve.
儿童早期的牙齿问题不仅对幼儿的口腔健康，而且对他们的生活质量及其家庭都会产生非常重大的影响。除此之外，还会给恒牙带来长期风险。
回顾有关幼儿龋齿管理及其对更广泛的口腔和整体健康影响的现有文献。
最近的研究表明，患有幼儿龋齿的儿童患龋齿、牙周病、错颌和其他一般健康问题（包括超重和肥胖）的风险可能会增加。根据所使用的技术和材料以及儿童因年龄或其他因素而合作的能力，受损的乳牙的传统修复仅具有中等效果。
最近一些有趣的方法，如密封牙釉质龋、仅部分去除龋坏牙本质或试图完全密封龋坏牙本质病变，不仅值得讨论，而且还需要进行更长期的研究。随着对医疗保健资金的需求不断增加，牙科必须考虑如何提供最合适的护理，以使儿童在成年后拥有健康的恒牙，而目前只有不到一半的人能够实现这一目标。
