Who Are the Key Caregivers and Stakeholders in Pediatric Dental Approaches?
In pediatric dentistry, stakeholders hold immense importance to a child's overall health, growth, and development, even from an individual and a societal or community level. There are different types or rather diverse stakeholders in society for children’s oral health. In the primary oral disease prevention strategies outlined by the WHO (World Health Organization) and by various local and international organizations, ranging from country to country, oral health programs or oral disease prevention can be made possible through the stakeholders or rather the caregivers in short whether it is the dental doctor or dentist or the dental personnel or nurse, the parent or the primary guardian of the child, the teachers at the school or even the manufacturers of dental products. This government would be organizing the local fluoridation public dental health programs.
So these stakeholders in the care of the child's oral health vary in accordance with based on the child’s age or place where the child would be located at the specified period when the oral health factors or rather the risk factors for oral disease development would be dependent upon. Ranging from children developing early childhood caries to their adolescent stages of 12 to 13 years when all the permanent teeth finally erupt, the growth phases in children are mainly impacted according to current medical research, by a positive oral health atmosphere and maintenance. Not only regular dental visits or a healthy interaction or rapport of the child with the dental doctor or surgeon, but the role of different stakeholders at the child's particular age of growth is also equally influential upon the child's oral health.
What Are the Age-Based Stakeholders for the Growing Child?
The stakeholders that we shall discuss in this article are based mainly on the current guidelines proposed by WHO, several international and national oral health organizations varying from country to country and in accordance mainly with the child’s age, presented for three age groups: these are from birth to three years, from the age of four to seven years, and from the ages of eight to 12 years. Let us explore this briefly.
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Growth Phase From Birth to Three Years: In this phase, though we know that newborn infants initially do not have teeth and the primary teeth eventually erupt (the deciduous dentition) by completely one and a half to two years of age (in healthy infants), it is the mothers or the fathers who are the fundamental stakeholders in charge of the child’s oral health. However, under varied or special circumstances, when the health of the primary caregiver that is the mother or father cannot be held accountable owing to their sickness or absence, in such cases, other siblings, helpers, family members, or even professional caregivers the medical physicians or personnel (medical doctors and nurses), Dental physicians personnel (dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses) hold significant importance. Also, your first dental visit should be ideally scheduled at six months to one year of age, to ensure the child's oral health is indeed in order.
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Growth Phase of Four to Seven Years: In this phase, when the intellectual growth of the child is rapid usually, the children aged four to seven years have several stakeholders, including themselves, the mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, helpers, other family members, or even the nursery or the preschool (school teachers). This is the phase where the child needs more motivation and empowerment to sustain effective oral health (in the mixed dentition phase or stage). The medical personnel (medical physicians or doctors and nurses) and dental physicians or personnel (dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses) are all equally accountable for the primary prevention of oral or dental diseases within this age group.
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Growth Phase of Eight to Twelve Years: With primary stakeholders being children themselves at this age, support can be offered by other caregivers, including mothers, fathers, siblings, helpers, other relatives or family members, and importantly, school teachers, as well as the medical personnel or dental personnel, to ensure that the child does not have any health impediments or any growth impediments by maintaining sound oral health. From the homes, it is the parents and guardians who always play the role of primary caregivers, meaning that they exert a major influence on the child's intellectual development that should be shaped positively. Similarly, at school, teachers should make an effort to establish a positive rapport with the dentist or the dental personnel and also claim the responsibility of ensuring that the children of every age group from one class to the other need to be monitored for their oral and general health needs. Performing health checks or medical and dental monitoring at schools can be extremely beneficial to the child, to holistically progress in their life, in sound health.
Whether it is the habit of timely tooth brushing with the proper technique suggested by the child's dentist or the sensible or limited use of sugary foods, timely brushing after consumption of any sweet food, or proper guidance by the caregivers in perspective to eating habits of nutrient-rich food consumption (and of varied food groups promoting the child's health and immunity), it is important for every stakeholder in the child's life or growth and development phases, to pay attention and, in fact, hold an essential obligation to their health.
Conclusion:
Whether it is the primary caregiver that is the mother or the father of the child or the secondary caregivers or stakeholders, be it the medical or dental personnel, guardians, relatives or siblings, or friends or school teachers, it is important to emphasize the importance of good oral habits that can transform or rather positively orient the child's health. There should also be a healthy community-level interaction between the dental patients, the parents or the primary caregivers, the school staff or teachers, and the dentist or dental personnel to promote holistic and all-round development of their wards. Preventing harmful mutilation injuries, self-depleting habits, avoiding traumatic injuries, ensuring safety, encouraging regular dental visits, and interacting with dental personnel hold significant value for pediatric oral health at a community level, thereby improving the oral and functional quality of life for the child.
