Pediatrics. 2014 Dec;134(6):1224-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-2984.
Oral health is an integral part of the overall health of children. Dental caries is a common and chronic disease process with significant short- and long-term consequences. The prevalence of dental caries for the youngest of children has not decreased over the past decade, despite improvements for older children. As health care professionals responsible for the overall health of children, pediatricians frequently confront morbidity associated with dental caries. Because the youngest children visit the pediatrician more often than they visit the dentist, it is important that pediatricians be knowledgeable about the disease process of dental caries, prevention of the disease, and interventions available to the pediatrician and the family to maintain and restore health.
口腔健康是儿童整体健康的一个组成部分。龋齿是一种常见的慢性疾病过程，会产生重大的短期和长期后果。尽管大龄儿童的情况有所改善，但过去十年中幼儿龋齿的患病率并未下降。作为负责儿童整体健康的医疗保健专业人员，儿科医生经常面临与龋齿相关的发病率问题。由于幼儿看儿科医生的频率高于看牙医的频率，因此儿科医生了解龋齿的疾病过程、疾病预防以及儿科医生和家庭可采用的维持和恢复健康的干预措施非常重要。
