Tips For Keeping Your Child’s Visit To The Dentist A Safe One (NAPSA)—While going to the dentist. is vital because oral health affects overall health, parents should be aware of specific pre- cautions to take to protect their children during visits to the den- tist and orthodontist. There are a numberof infection control measures that should be standard in every office for every patient: * Dental and orthodontic pro- A visit to the dentist can be safer and morepleasant for children today. a new mask before beginning from orthodontic offices had 1% to fessionals should wash their hands and put on fresh gloves and work in the mouth. All single-use items should be disposed of. If offices reuse these items, they risk the possibility of spreadingdisease. * After every patient, the treat- two times as many bacteria on them as clips from an endodontic dental clinic before disinfection. The researchers speculated that young patients might be more pronethan olderonesto touch the ment area and all equipment bib clip during treatment. A dis- with a hospital-grade disinfectant, be bacteria-free. equipmentaspossible. There is equipment customized your child receives an X-ray apron with a built-in thyroid guardto use during X-rays. Although thereis no should be cleaned and disinfected not just household cleaner. Plastic barriers should cover as much for kids that can create a safe and comfortable environment for ju- posable bib clip is guaranteed to *It’s imperative to make sure specific research indicating a corre- lation between thyroid cancer and nior patients. “One key to encour- dental and orthodontic X-rays, aging children’s participation at according to the American Cancer dental and orthodontic checkups Society, people who receive head or is to make the experience more neck radiation treatments in child- pleasant andless scary,” says Noel hood are at increased risk for thy- tal hygienist and the infection are required to shield the thyroid from unnecessary radiation during X-rays of the mouth. Recent inno- Brandon-Kelsch, a registered den- control columnist for RDH magazine. She suggests parents make a few simple requests of their dental and orthodontic professional: Request a disposable bib clip for your child. Metal bib clips are cold on the neck and can harbor bacteria. Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medi- cine and the Forsyth Institute found that 20 to 30 percent of bib clips still had bacteria on them even after being disinfected. The same study found that bib clips roid cancer. Built-in thyroid collars vations in the design of X-ray aprons have also made them leadfree, and thus 30 percentlighter than leaded aprons while offering the samelevel of protection. Brandon-Kelsch adds, “Parents should request a kid-sized X-ray apron that covers small bodies appropriately. The apron should be clean and not have any tears or creases that would compromise the protective layer of the apron.” Note to Editors: While February is Children’s Dental Health Month, this article can be useful to your readers at any time.
