Recently, I met with a corporate CEO to talk about child oral health. While very knowledgeable about many child health issues, he had no idea tooth decay is the #1 chronic disease affecting kids today. Sadly, few of us are aware of this “silent epidemic.”
Fortunately, great work is underway to improve child oral health – including our multi-year Public Will Building initiative known as “Cavities Get Around.”
The campaign is based on what we learned through our extensive audience and stakeholder research:
- Many people think baby teeth don’t matter since they fall out anyway. But cavities spread from baby teeth to adult teeth, leading to costly, painful dental problems later in life. That’s why baby teeth matter.
- People are surprised to learn sugar fuels bacteria that then produce acid that decay teeth. This is a big problem in young children because the enamel on their baby teeth is especially thin. Good nutrition is just as important as brushing.
- Juice is a big culprit behind tooth decay in children. We found that 87% of parents said their children drink juice several times a week; 55% said juice is the most likely beverage their child drinks; and 72% said they believe juice is healthy for their children. Juice can have as much sugar as soda. Check out this video to see for yourself.
Cavities Get Around asks families to serve children only water between meals and at bedtime for a beautiful smile for life. We’re also engaging community leaders and policymakers who can help lead change when it comes to making water, especially tap water, the “default” beverage.
Learn more about the campaign at www.CavitiesGetAround.com.
