FAQ’s – Department of Public Health Dentistry

Q 1. What are the objectives of Dental Public Health?

• Supports healthy growth and development of jaws and teeth.
• Fosters healthy lifestyles.
• Helps to protect the public from health risks.
• Works to prevent dental illness and injury.
• Protects the health of communities.
• Works to reduce health risks to the public.
• Educate people about public health issues.
• Monitors facilities and developments.
• Enforces dental health legislation.
• More detailed information on specific Preventive Dental Public Health programs are on the Overview page.

Q 2. By whom are Preventive Dental Public Health programs delivered ?
A 2. Preventive Dental Public Health programs are delivered by a wide array of health professionals, including:

• Public Health Dentist
• Public Health Nurses
• Dental Hygienists
• Dental Health Educator
• Administrative and support staff
• and many others…

Checklist for a healthy smile… what YOU do and do not do is important!

Eat Intelligently!

• Life can be busy so choose fresh fruits and vegetables instead of junk foods when you eat on the run.  Limit snacking

Practice Good Prevention!

• Brush twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste.
• Floss once a day.

Keep up with your dental check-ups!

• Dental checkup every 6 months is important for prevention and early treatment of dental problems. Tooth cleaning, fluoride treatments and sealants are important to help prevent dental problems.

Don’t smoke or chew tobacco!

• The warnings you hear and read about are true. Besides lung and heart problems, tobacco can cause oral cancers.

Wear a Mouth Guard for SPORTS or activities in which your mouth can be hit!

Tooth-brushing made easy…

• Brush morning and night with a small, soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.Place your toothbrush where your teeth and gums meet. Gently move the toothbrush in small circles.

1.   Brush outside surfaces…
2.   Brush  inside surfaces…
3.   Chewing surfaces.

Don’t rush the brush – It takes time to reach all the tooth surfaces in your mouth.

PLUS… Brushing really fast won’t let the toothbrush bristles reach tricky areas in and around your teeth.

Flossing …

• Floss once a day to remove the plaque from between your teeth.
• Flossing gets easier the more you do it. Keep at it!

Wind 30 cm of floss around your two middle fingers

• Then use your index fingers and thumbs to direct the floss between teeth

Carefully guide the floss between teeth.
Gently move the

•  floss up and down in a C-shape against the side of one tooth to remove plaque and debris. Then make a C-shape with floss against the side of the other tooth.Use a fresh section of floss as you move from tooth to tooth.

Dental Care for Children 0-5 years

Brush at least twice a day with Fluoride Toothpaste

Catch small problems early – before they become BIG problems
Our dental team can help you learn how you can prevent oral disease.

• If you spot trouble or have questions – visit our dental team to check it out – before it may become a serious problem…
• As a parent, you have a big role to play in keeping your child’s teeth healthy and clean. You can help prevent cavities. Prevention starts at home, with good eating habits and daily cleaning of the teeth.

This section has important information on how to properly care for primary teeth and new permanent teeth.

• Cleaning Teeth – Young children are not able to clean their own teeth. As a parent, you must do it for them when they are very young and do it with them, as they get older.
• Nutrition for Children – We have all heard that sugar is bad for teeth. Limit the consumption of carbohydrates, sweets etc. during meal times.
• Dental Development – All 20 baby (or primary) teeth come in by the time your child is two or three years old.
• Early Childhood Tooth Decay – Once your child has teeth, he is susceptible to tooth decay.
• Your Child’s First Visit – Indian Dental Association encourages the assessment of infants, by a dentist, within 6 months of the eruption of the first tooth or by one year of age.
• Fluoride & Your Child – Fluoride is a mineral found in nature. It makes the hard outer layer of teeth (called enamel) stronger. When the outer layer is strong, teeth are less likely to get cavities.
• Pacifiers & Thumb Sucking – It is normal for babies to suck because it helps them relax. By the time your child is two or three years of age, he or she has less need to suck.

Pregnancy and Dental Health

• Taking good care of yourself during pregnancy affects the development and dental health of your baby. Your baby’s mouth and teeth begin to form during the first few weeks of pregnancy.

Taking care of your dental health

Reasons for taking care of your dental health during pregnancy include the following:

• Hormonal changes occur during pregnancy that can affect your gums. Bacteria along your gum line can cause your gums to become swollen and inflamed.
• Tooth decay is caused by bacteria in your mouth and may be passed to your child through saliva.
• Tooth decay can be affected by what you eat, how often you eat, and how long the food stays in your mouth or on your teeth. Snacking may be necessary, but eating sweet or sticky foods may increase your risk of tooth decay.
• Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can leave stomach acids in your mouth. Clean your teeth and rinse your mouth to prevent tooth decay and damage to the surfaces of your teeth.

To keep your teeth and gums healthy, you can take these steps:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a toothpaste that contains fluoride, and clean carefully along your gum lines
• Floss daily
• Eat healthy foods
• Limit foods that are sweet or stick to your teeth
• Do not brush your teeth for 30 minutes after vomiting. The stomach acid combined with brushing may erode your tooth enamel. Rinse your mouth with water, or use a fluoride mouth rinse to freshen your mouth and protect your teeth.
• Do not smoke and drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Professional dental care

• See your dentist regularly during your pregnancy. If you have healthy teeth, you will have less tooth decay or bacteria and lower the risk of passing the bacteria to your baby.
• Regular dental cleanings and check-ups are safe at any time during pregnancy. Tell your dentist or dental hygienist that you are pregnant.
• Any pain, swelling or infection in your mouth should be treated immediately. This can affect your health and your baby’s health.