
Although there are several problems that affect the oral health of children, dental caries remains one of the most commonly seen oral diseases during childhood.
Other common oral health problems in children include:
- Tooth decay
- Thumb sucking
- Tongue thrusting
- Lip sucking
- Tooth sensitivity
- Gum diseases
- Early tooth loss
Leading experts focus on prevention and health care, including activities promoting oral health during preconception, pregnancy, and the first three years of life. Good oral health in infancy and early childhood is the precursor to better outcomes at later stages of life.
Intrauterine environment (including factors like maternal health, smoking, and infections), periods of development, and environmental exposures significantly affect oral health outcomes in adulthood.
What are the common oral health issues in children?
Common oral health issues include:
- Baby bottle tooth decay
- Baby bottle tooth decay (early childhood caries or nursing caries) occurs when a baby's teeth are in frequent contact with sugars from drinks, such as fruit juices and milk formula.
- When breastfed infants fall asleep with milk in their mouth, they are at a higher risk of tooth decay.
- Decayed or damaged baby teeth cannot guide permanent teeth into their proper position, resulting in crowded or crooked permanent teeth or an abscessed tooth.
- Dental caries
- A multifactorial disease characterized by tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is childhood's most prevalent chronic disease.
- This condition begins with an imbalance in microbial biofilms covering the tooth surfaces. When decay-causing bacteria in the mouth come into contact with sugars from food and drinks, they produce acids that attack the tooth’s enamel and cause mineral loss.
- Although genetic factors can affect susceptibility to dental caries, their interactions with environmental factors, such as increased exposure to cariogenic bacteria, high frequency of sugar consumption, inadequate salivary composition or flow, delayed or insufficient fluoride exposure, and poor oral hygiene, appear to be more highly predictive of dental caries in children.
- Other commonly observed risk factors for dental caries include poverty, race, and ethnicity, and maternal oral health status.
- Thumb sucking
- Most infants suck their thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, or toys, which gives them a sense of emotional security and comfort; however, if the habit of thumb-sucking persists beyond the age of five years, dental problems can occur.
- Depending on the intensity and duration, thumb sucking can lead to various dental issues, such as misalignment of the teeth, difficulty with the correct pronunciation of words, and the malformation of the roof of the mouth.
- Tongue thrusting
- Tongue thrusting is an oral habit of sealing the mouth for swallowing by pushing the top of the tongue forward against the lips or between the top and bottom teeth.
- This habit can exert pressure against the front teeth, resulting in misalignment and possibly interfering with proper speech development.
- Lip sucking
- Lip sucking involves repeatedly holding the lower lip beneath the upper front teeth.
- Practicing this habit may result in an overbite and improper speech.
- Early tooth loss
- Premature or early loss of baby teeth might occur from tooth decay, injury, or lack of jaw space.
- In case of early loss of teeth, the nearby teeth can tip or shift. When a permanent tooth tries to emerge into its space, there may not be enough room, resulting in emerging of tilted, crooked, or misaligned teeth, eventually causing problems with chewing or the temporomandibular joint (which connects the jawbone to the skull).
- Tooth sensitivity
- Refers to sharp and temporary pain when brushing, eating, and drinking.
- Sensitive teeth are often the result of worn tooth enamel, exposed tooth roots, cavities, a cracked or chipped tooth, worn filling, or gum disease.
- Gingivitis and gum disease
- Gingivitis is a periodontal disease characterized by irritation, redness, and swelling of the gingiva, the part of the gum around the base of teeth.
- Untreated gingivitis can progress to periodontitis (gum disease that spreads to underlying tissue and bone) and may lead to tooth loss.

QUESTION
What causes tooth decay? See AnswerHow can you prevent common pediatric dental problems?
Here are the few best ways to protect children’s oral health and lower their risk of oral health issues:
- To prevent baby bottle tooth decay
- Avoid giving a bottle filled with sugary drinks or milk during the day and use a pacifier instead.
- Do not dip the pacifier in sugar, honey, or any other sugary liquid.
- Avoid adding sugar (in any form) to the baby's food.
- Use a wet cloth or gauze piece to wipe teeth and gums after every feeding.
- To prevent thumb-sucking habits
- Encourage your child to quit the habit through positive reinforcement.
- Avoid negative reinforcement, such as scolding, nagging, or punishments.
- Praise or reward them for successfully avoiding the habit.
- Cover the child’s thumb with a band-aid that may act as a reminder to overcome the habit.
- Talk to them if they are facing some stressful situation at home or school and try to correct the situation.
- Try dental appliances to prevent sucking.
- To prevent tooth sensitivity
- Make sure your child uses a desensitizing toothpaste.
- Apply fluoride to the sensitive areas of the child’s teeth to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce pain.
- Do not let your child eat or drink acidic foods and drinks.
- To prevent gingivitis/gum diseases
- Inculcate in your child a habit of brushing their teeth at least twice a day.
- Ensure they are flossing adequately.
- Limit the intake of sugar.
- Schedule regular appointments with a pediatric dentist for dental checkups and cleanings.
Health News
- Opdivo Could Boost Outcomes for People Battling Hodgkin Lymphoma
- More U.S. Kids, Teens Are Getting Weight-Loss Surgeries
- Could a Nitroglycerin Patch Ease Hot Flashes?
- One Form of Menopause Hormone Therapy Might Raise Blood Pressure
- Targeted Drug May Lower Odds for Breast Cancer's Return in Some Patients
More Health News »
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Oral Health Across the Lifespan: Children. NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578299/`
Oral Health Problems in Children. WebMD: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/oral-health-problems-children
Children’s Oral Health. CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/childrens-oral-health/index.html
Top Oral Health Problems in Children Related Articles
Abscessed Tooth
An abscessed tooth is an infection within a tooth that has spread to the root. Symptoms of an abscessed tooth may include pain, swelling, tenderness, redness, and the presence of a pus-filled lesion on the gum. A dental professional diagnoses an abscessed tooth and dental X-rays may be required. An abscessed tooth is treated with a root canal.Breastfeeding (and Formula Feeding)
It's important to know whether you will breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby prior to delivery, as the breasts' ability to produce milk diminishes soon after childbirth without the stimulation of breastfeeding. Breast milk is easily digested by babies and contains infection-fighting antibodies and cholesterol, which promotes brain growth. Formula-fed babies actually need to eat somewhat less often since formula is less readily digested by the baby than human milk. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of both forms of feeding.Treatment for Whiter Teeth and a Brighter Smile
Want brighter, whiter teeth? Brushing up on these photo tips can help keep your teeth white. Discover which smile-whitening ideas will make your teeth shine their brightest and how to avoid future stains.Choosing a Toothpaste
Toothpaste, or dentifrice, is a paste, gel, or powder that helps maintain dental health. Toothpastes may contain different compounds to minimize the risk of cavities, tartar, teeth sensitivity, and stains and yellowing.Dental Care for Babies
Getting in the habit of cleaning your baby's gums after each feeding will help prevent future oral health problems, like bleeding gums and cavities. Also, it's important to be able to recognize the symptoms of teething. The symptoms include increased drooling, tender gums, rash on the cheeks, ear pulling, and placing objects in the mouth and biting down on them. Treat teething pain by massaging your child's gums, allowing your child to suck on a chilled teething ring or cold, wet cloth, or applying an over-the-counter teething ointment to numb the gums.Dental Problems: Tooth Decay, TMJ, Mouth Pain Causes & Treatments
Do you have a toothache? What is oral cancer? Symptoms like mouth pain and sensitive teeth can indicate dental problems. Learn the causes of painful problems in your mouth like tooth decay, TMJ, and dry mouth. See how bad breath starts, and how to fight bad breath with dental treatments that work.Dental Health Quiz
Take the Dental Health Quiz to test your IQ of oral hygiene, cavities, and common tongue and gum diseases. This quiz covers healthy mouths and teeth from brushing to flossing and everything in between check-ups!How to Cure Mouth Ulcers Fast Naturally
Learn what medical treatments can help ease your mouth ulcer and blister symptoms and speed up your recovery. What to know about canker sores and treatments for canker sore pain relief.Mouth Guards
There are three types of mouth guards: stock mouth protectors, boil and bite mouth protectors, and custom-fitted mouth protectors. Custom mouth guards provide the most comfort and protection and offer the best fit; they are made from a hard, durable material that is molded to your teeth. They function to protect the teeth from sports injuries and grinding during sleeping (bruxism).Teeth Picture
The teeth are the hardest substances in the human body. See a picture of the Teeth and learn more about the health topic.Teething
Teething in babies typically starts between 4 and 10 months of age. Symptoms and signs of cutting teeth include rash, drooling, decreased sleeping, fussiness, bringing the hands to the mouth, and rubbing the cheek or ear. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen may be used to treat teething pain. Do not give aspirin to babies or children due to a condition called Reye's syndrome, which can be deadly.Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome is a disorder that causes symptoms like pain, clicking, and popping of the jaw. TMJ is caused by injury to the temporomandibular joint. Stress, poor posture, jaw trauma, genetic predisposition, and inflammatory disorders are risk factors for the condition. A variety of self-care measures (application of ice, use of over-the-counter pain medication, massage, relaxation techniques) and medical treatment options (dental splint, Botox, prescription medications, surgery) are available to manage TMJ. The prognosis of TMJ is good with proper treatment.Toothache
A toothache is pain on or around a tooth. It may have a variety of causes, including a cavity, abscess, or even sinusitis. Toothache symptoms include pain, headache, earache, bad taste in the mouth, and gum swelling. Dental X-rays and other tests performed by a dentist are used to diagnose the cause of a toothache. Toothache treatment depends on the underlying cause. Taking proper care of the teeth and gums can help prevent toothache.Mouth Problems: TMJ, Canker Sores, Painful Gums and More
Sores, painful gums, bad breath -- what's going on in your mouth? Find out with our slideshow of the most common mouth problems. Learn about canker sores, cold sores, oral thrush, TMJ, and oral cancer. See what treatments for bad breath and other dental problems are available from your dentist.What Does It Mean When You Have Bumps on the Back of Your Tongue?
Getting bumps on the back of your tongue is common and usually harmless, but they can be a sign of an underlying issue. Learn the signs to look out for, how to treat them, and when to see a doctor. Tongue scraping can remove bacteria and other buildup from the top of your tongue, improving oral health and minimizing bad breath.