22: Nursing and early childhood caries

22 Nursing and early childhood caries

Examination

Extraorally there is no swelling and no facial asymmetry. Intraorally she is in the full primary dentition with the second primary molars having just erupted. There is caries affecting the upper incisors and cavitation in all first primary molars.

image Why are the teeth affected in this pattern?

Teeth become carious in the order in which they erupt (Fig. 22.2) with the exception of the lower primary incisors, which are protected by two major mechanisms: the position of the submandibular ducts that open adjacent to these teeth; the position of the tongue in suckling, which covers the lower incisors.

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Jan 2, 2015 | Posted by in Orthodontics | Comments Off on 22: Nursing and early childhood caries

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