The Role of Pediatric Trainees in Addressing Oral Health Disparities in Children

* Abbreviation: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics Hoping not to reveal my inexperience, I opened the package and picked up what looked like a child-sized paintbrush. It was nearing the end of our well-child visit, and my attending physician had asked me to apply fluoride varnish for Louisa, a 2-year-old girl who looked just a bit more nervous than I was. “Say aaaah,” I said, as I brushed on the bubble gum–flavored, caramel-like substance over her teeth. Her face showed relief about the painless procedure, which took < 30 seconds, as well as about the surprisingly sweet taste of the varnish. A few minutes later, after a proud high five, she was skipping out the door with her newly coated teeth and a smile that matched my own. For children like Louisa, preventive oral health care is imperative, not only because early childhood caries is the most common chronic childhood illness, but also because low-income and resource-poor families like hers are often disproportionately affected. Specifically, children experiencing poverty are twice as likely to suffer from dental caries as their more affluent peers.1 There are many reasons for this disparity, including the cost of dental care, a shortage of dentists that accept Medicaid, a lack of dentists that treat pediatric patients, and low health literacy in navigating the dental care system.1,2 Although seemingly innocuous, poor dental care during childhood can have devastating consequences because of its many downstream effects, including poor growth, increased sleep disturbances, an increased number of missed school days, and an overall decrease in quality of life.1,3,4 Notably, children lose 51 million … Address correspondence to Mickey Emmanuel, BS, College of Medicine, University of Florida, 5517 Lake Leta Blvd, Tampa, FL 33624. E-mail: mickeyemmanuel{at}gmail.com