Winning the battle against dental caries in under 5s

It's never been so important for parents to access good professional advice to help them give their children healthy teeth for life. With the ridiculously high number of general anaesthetics for multiple extractions in children in England – at a cost of £50.5 million in 2015/16 – everyone needs to be doing their bit to support and educate parents with preventive advice. Since the recent launch of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry's new Dental Check by One campaign¹, it's increasingly likely that more very young children will be brought in to a dental practice for a first appointment.

Dental care professionals have an important role to play. Whether you are a therapist, a hygienist or a dental nurse, you may well find that parents turn to you for information on how to start cleaning their baby's teeth. We may also find that friends and acquaintances look to us for advice. This article sets out the best, evidence-based information as well as the background to the crisis in children's oral health.