TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Dental Caries A1 - Ng, Man Wai A1 - Chase, Isabelle I. A2 - Kline, Mark W. PY - 2018 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 23e AB - Dental caries, more commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is an infectious, transmissible, diet-mediated oral disease that is largely preventable. It is the most common chronic disease among US children—5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever. In the United States, approximately 1 in 4 children who are 2 to 5 years of age have experienced dental caries. Caries prevalence increases with age, such that approximately 1 in 2 children aged 6 to 8 years have experienced caries in their primary teeth. In permanent teeth, approximately 1 in 5 children aged 6 to 11 years, 1 in 2 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, and 2 in 3 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years have experienced caries. Children of racial and ethnic minorities and low-income families have higher rates of dental caries and untreated dental caries compared to their higher-income, non-Hispanic white counterparts. Since young children see their pediatrician for preventive visits more often (up to 10 times before age 2 years) than they visit their dentist, it is important that pediatricians and other primary care providers are knowledgeable about addressing dental caries by assessing risk and intervening with various strategies to prevent dental caries and promote optimal oral health in children. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/18 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1182906549 ER -