Dental caries prevention and treatment for preschool children in China

Abstract

Studies have shown that the prevalence and severity of caries in the primary dentition of Chinese preschool children is high and that nearly all of the decayed teeth remain untreated. The cost ofconventional dental treatment and the shortage ofdental health care workers make it difficult in China to control the caries situation of preschool children using conventional methods. This paper discusses other community measures such as a programme to promote tooth brushing withfluoride toothpaste, theARTapproach and use ofvariousfluoride agents in China for prevention and treatment ofcaries in preschool children.