Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a chronic disease that destroys tooth structure leading to loss of chewing function, pain, and infection in children through five years of age.
The prevalence of dental caries for the youngest of children has not decreased over the past decade, despite improvements for older children.
The USPSTF recommends that primary care clinicians apply fluoride varnish to the primary teeth of all infants and children starting at the age of primary tooth eruption.
And it’s so easy; a few swipes across tooth surfaces and you’re done, in less than a minute!
ECC is the most common chronic childhood disease and has many potentially severe consequences.
* Rates from 2011-2016
It is defined as >1 decayed, missing, or filled primary tooth surface in children less than 6 years of age. It effects 23% of children ages 2-5 years, 17% of permanent teeth ages 6-11 and up to 57% adolescents ages 12-19. ECC was once called “nursing caries” or “baby bottle tooth decay”, which greatly downplays the health, social and economic harms of this wide-spread disease.
In addition to twice-daily brushing with fluoridated toothpaste for all children, professionally-applied 5% fluoride varnish treatments are highly effective in reducing the prevalence of ECC. Evidence increasingly suggests that preventive interventions within the first year of life are critical. This may be best implemented by medical providers who often see young children long before they see a dentist.