yx's 1st Dental Examination

Brought yx to see dentist at National Dental Centre today. She has 11 (+1 emerging) teeth now!

Thanks to mummies in the forum, I got to know that there is a dental studies for infants and toddlers and by going through this study, we are able to receive free dental consultation and examination for a period of 2 years. However, in event that there is a need for further recommended treatment, you will have to pay.

We learnt that:

1. it's good to have gaps between the teeth now so that there will be less "congestion" when other teeth grow.
2. brush, wipe, or feed her water, for the last feed of milk before bed to reduce the milk residue to prevent tooth decay.

We have been wiping her gums, teeth and tongue every morning and night during bath time since day 1 so we are quite surprised to learn that we also need to clean after the last feed of milk (and that's like midnight or after midnight!) This study is conducted because they see an increasing trend of infants who suffered from tooth decay. It was quite shocking as we don't seem to find or hear of any case around us. I remembered it was compulsory to brush teeth after recess time when I was primary one. We were given tumbler, toothbrush and toothpaste by the school and we learnt the techniques of brushing teeth. Prior to that, I learnt to brush my teeth when I attended nursery. That was it. My mum couldn't recall if she clean my teeth when I was an infant. I wonder if those tooth decay cases during our times went unreported or the food we ate today contains more sugary stuff ?

Anyhow, I am quite particular in giving yx candies and cakes. Hopefully that helps.


Information Sheet on on Paediatric Dentistry Study:

Project Title: Efficacy of an oral health programme in Singapore - early caries prevention for infants and toddlers  Purpose

You are being invited to participate in a research study of the prevention of early childhood tooth decay through an oral health programme. •          Dentist in NDC have been seeing many children with severe tooth decay. Some children affected are as young as 12-months-old. •          The aim of the study is to find out if we can prevent children tooth decay when we put them through an oral health programme at an early age This study will recruit 171 subjects over a period of 6-8 months. About 171 subjects will be involved in this study.

 Inclusion Criteriaa. Child is 0 to 18 months old at the start of the studyb. Child with at least one tooth present in the oral cavityc. Family is planning to reside in Singapore for at least 2 yearsd. Parent/caregiver is available for informed consente. Parent/caregiver is able to bring patient for dental recalls at NDC every 6 months for 2 years from first visit (a total of 5 visits including the initial visit)f. Child with no congenital conditions related to tooth structuresg. Child who has no prior dental experience (never seen a dentist before)h. Child does not have significant medical condition (ASA I or II)i. Child does not have special health care needsj. Willing to allow access to dental records during study period  Study Procedure •          If you agree to take part in this study, your child will receive an initial dental examination, oral health counseling, and a topical fluoride treatment. You will receive a dental examination too. All procedures rendered are standard protocol. We are doing nothing out of the norm and nothing invasive. •          Your child will be reviewed every 6-monthly at the Paediatric Dentistry clinics in NDC for 2 years. (A total of 5 visits including the 1^st visit.) Similar procedures as mentioned above will be rendered at each recall visit.   Benefits •          Your child will receive free dental examination, oral health education, and topical fluoride treatment every 6 months for 2 years.
•          You will be notified of your child’s dental health status and will benefit from the dental preventive advice given by the clinician.
•          Preventive advice can potentially help to prevent dental caries in your child, which may in turn avoid dentally related pain and associated cost.
•          You will be reimbursed for your time, inconvenience and transportation costs. ($20 at the initial dental visit and for each subsequent dental recall visit)
 Your participation is voluntary and information collected for the study will be kept confidential, and the records will not be made publicly available.