Last century, when I began my pediatric practice, measles, German measles (Rubella), mumps, chicken pox, and whooping cough were called the ”common diseases of childhood.” These diseases, with the exception of whooping cough, have all but become extinct due to the wide use of vaccinations – immunizations.
Whooping cough is a tough one, vaccination often fails to grant permanent immunity and grandparents are now the primary source of infection to babies. However, immunizing pregnant mothers will give their babies immunity until they are old enough to get shots to prevent this horrid infection.
Not much in pediatrics was as painful to watch, or hear, than an infant with an incessant cough, and the death gripping stridor, struggling to breathe. Try watching a kid with measles; note his red, swollen eyes, the generalized red rash gradually becoming purple as blood leaks into his skin, and all the time he’s holding his painful head, and coughing the dry, hacking cough! Better yet, don’t see these kind of problems. Get your kids immunized!
But immunizations are not the subject of this post. None of the above, formerly common diseases of childhood, is common enough to make that grade. No, the most common chronic disease of childhood is tooth decay.
I remember many years ago I would see many kids, including kindergartners, with hardly any teeth visible in their smile. Today the story is different, most pre-school and elementary school students have a full mouth of healthy teeth. I’ll tell you why in a minute.
In the meantime, a word about tooth decay from the AAP News this week. The short answer is, acid in the mouth dissolves tooth enamel. This acid is produced by bacteria metabolizing (eating) sugar and other carbohydrates, which coat the teeth, and producing lactic acid. Saliva and its components, calcium, phosphate and fluoride, block the ability of the acid to dissolve enamel. Fluoride can prevent tooth decay even in the presence of a large amount of acid.
Many parts of our country have natural occurring fluoride in their water. This observation led to Grand Rapids Michigan, adding a small amount of fluoride to its water in 1945. At first other municipalities were slow to pick up this great medical achievement in disease prevention. But later in the century it caught on like wild fire and today most municipalities have fluoridated water.
I still see a rare teen with many rotting teeth. When I do I say, “You live on a farm don’t you?”
They invariable answer “Yes, how did you know?”
I tell them of the benefits of fluoride and explain that there are still over 100 million Americans who do not have access to fluoridated water, and many of them live on farms.
Fluoride in the concentration present if drinking water is very safe. However, if you have fluoride in your water, use fluoridated tooth paste, and have your dentist coat your teeth with fluoride, you may be getting too much. Teeth exposed to excess fluoride may develop spotty, brown discoloration of their teeth. These teeth are very resistant to decay, but on close-up may appear unsightly.
So, pay no attention to those dooms day prophets who oppose fluoridation of water. Let them rot their teeth out and expose themselves to the health hazards of bad teeth. Keep your teeth and your children’s teeth healthy by making sure they have fluoride in their water. It works for a lifetime!