Krol David M, Whelan Kaitlin
Medical Director, Connecticut Children's Care Network.
Medical Director, Care Integration, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, Connecticut.
Pediatrics. 2023 Jan 1;151(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2022-060417.
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 remains greater than 40% among children 2 to 19 years of age. Although dental visits have increased in all age, race, and geographic categories in the United States, disparities continue to exist, and a significant portion of children have difficulty accessing dental care. 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 disease, interventions to maintain and restore health, and the social determinants of children's oral 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。在2至19岁的儿童中，龋齿患病率仍高于40%。尽管在美国所有年龄、种族和地理区域的看牙就诊率都有所上升，但差距依然存在，而且很大一部分儿童在获得牙科护理方面存在困难。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。由于年幼儿童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、维持和恢复健康的干预措施以及儿童口腔健康的社会决定因素非常重要。
