Iranian children, aged between two and 11, have an average of six and eight damaged teeth, said a member of Iranian General Dentists Association (IGDA).

Maral Qorbanzadeh told Iran Daily that primary teeth leave an impact on the development of permanent teeth.

If a child loses his/her primary teeth early, the teeth adjacent to it might occupy the empty space leading to the disfiguring of permanent teeth, she said.

On the other hand, when primary teeth are pulled out sooner than the appearance of permanent teeth, a crowded density of gum and collagen may be created in the empty space thus delaying the emergence of permanent teeth.

She continued that the first milk tooth will appear at the age of six months.

“We expect the primary teeth to be replaced by permanent teeth at the age of 11.”

The first visit to the dentist is recommended at the age of 12-18 months, so as the dentist can instruct the parents about dental health and dental care, she said.

Unfortunately, the first visit takes place when the child has a toothache, she regretted.

In a majority of the cases, oral cancer can be diagnosed in early stages through radiotherapy at an early age, she said.

Qorbanzadeh described anterior teeth decay as a major dental problem in childhood, attributing it to feeding the baby at nights.

Some parents are not aware that milk includes natural sugars that bring about tooth decay, she said. Therefore, primary teeth decay early, she added.

She recommended the parents to give water to babies or clean their teeth with a wet washcloth after each feeding to prevent further decays.

On the side effects of supplementary iron drop on teeth, she said iron drop doesn’t lead to tooth decay. “Rather, it changes the tooth color. This color change can create a bad space on the tooth thus exposing it to decay.”

She said since children at age three or four cannot brush their teeth properly, severe decays occur in posterior teeth at these ages, she added.

Qorbanzadeh also said that parents should brush their child’s teeth until the age of seven. They must oversee the brushes of their child between the ages of seven and 11, she added.

Toothpaste is not recommended until the age of three since the child doesn’t know how to spit out excess white water, she said.

Since water has sufficient fluoride in Iran, children do not require further from toothpaste, she noted.

She said water has higher amount of fluoride in the southern parts of the country ― leading to dental fluorosis which can cause significant discoloration of teeth. This discoloration ranges from white specks, splotches and streaks in the ‘mild’ forms of the condition to extensive brown and black staining in the severe forms.

source: iran-daily