Periodicity of Examination

TARGET GROUP: INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS

OBJECTIVES

·        To help practitioners make clinical decisions concerning preventive oral health interventions, including anticipatory guidance and preventive counseling, for infants, children, and adolescents.

SUMMARY

Professional dental care is necessary to maintain oral health. The AAPD emphasizes the importance of initiating professional oral health intervention in infancy and continuing through adolescence and beyond. The periodicity of professional oral health intervention and services is based on a patient’s individual needs and risk indicators. Each age group, as well as each individual child, has distinct developmental needs to be addressed at specific intervals as part of a comprehensive evaluation.  Continuity of care is based on the assessed needs of the individual patient and assures appropriate management of all oral conditions, dental disease, and injuries. The early dental visit to establish a dental home provides a foundation upon which a lifetime of preventive education and oral health care can be built. The early establishment of a dental home has the potential to provide more effective and less costly dental care when compared to dental care provided in emergency care facilities or hospitals. Anticipatory guidance and counseling are essential components of the dental visit. Collaborative efforts and effective communication between medical and dental homes are essential to prevent oral disease and promote oral and overall health among children. Medical professionals can play an important role in children’s oral health by providing primary prevention and coordinated care. Equally, dentists can improve the overall health of children not only by treating dental disease, but also by proactively recognizing child abuse, preventing traumatic injuries through anticipatory guidance, preventing obesity by longitudinal dietary counseling, and monitoring of weight status.28 In addition, dentists can have an important role in assessing immunization status and developmental milestones for potential delays, as well as making appropriate referral for further neurodevelopmental evaluations and therapeutic services. The unique opportunity that dentists have to help address overall health issues strengthens as children get older since frequency of well child medical visits decreases at the same time the frequency of dental recall visits increases. Research shows that children aged six- to 12-years are, on average, four times more likely to visit a dentist than a pediatrician.

REFERENCE

https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/bp_periodicity.pdf