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Frequently
Asked
Questions
Caries
Experience
Can
childhood
caries
be
prevented?
Throughout
childhood
and
adolescence,
there
are
many
opportunities
for
primary
prevention
of
tooth
decay.
Caries
experience,
that
could
be
represented
by
a
missing
tooth
or
presence
of
a
cavity
or
a
filling,
indicates
that
opportunities
for
primary
prevention
may
have
been
missed.
Caries
experience
in
the
permanent
teeth
increases
with
age,
and
is
higher,
for
example,
among
adolescents
than
among
young
children.
By
the
time
adolescents
finish
high
school,
approximately
80%
have
experienced
tooth
decay.
Effective
personal
preventive
measures
(e.g.,
toothbrushing
with
fluoride
toothpastes
and
flossing)
should
be
started
as
soon
as
teeth
erupt
and
supervised
by
a
parent
until
children
are
old
enough
to
do
well
on
their
own
-
typically
around
age
6
or
7.
Tailored
dental
visits
provide
an
opportunity
to
assess
dietary
and
oral
hygiene
practices
and
to
place
sealants
on
vulnerable
permanent
teeth
that
erupt
between
the
ages
of
5
and
13.
From
the
CDC/ASTDD
http://www.cdc.gov/nohss/guideCE.htm
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