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Oral Health in Children

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Nutrition and Oral Health

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Abstract

Promoting good oral health in children encompasses preventing and controlling disease in a number of different structures including the oral mucosa, gingiva, periodontium and dental hard tissues. The most common cause of poor oral health in children is dental caries which can cause significant pain and discomfort. Caries development can be directly attributed to dietary factors and poor oral hygiene and can have a significant impact on the child’s growth and development. Gingival and periodontal conditions are rarer in children and are usually related to either genetic or systemic conditions. The oral mucosa is directly related to the gastrointestinal mucosa as well as the skin and oral lesions can therefore help to diagnose systemic conditions such as infections, haematological oncology, anaemias, nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal conditions for example coeliac disease, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Dentistry, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Joanna May

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  1. Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK

    Gerry McKenna

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May, J. (2021). Oral Health in Children. In: McKenna, G. (eds) Nutrition and Oral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80526-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80526-5_3

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