Question

Your pediatric patient (or parent) presents to your office today with a concern involving one of the health promotion topics that we discussed this week (nutrition, breastfeeding, elimination, physical activity or sleep and rest). Describe your pediatric patient, their concern, three recommendations and 2-3 barriers. Include at least one resource that they can utilize to promote success. Note that the health concern you choose for this assignment should not be the same as your discussion topic.

Answer 1

Answers:

Health concern: About oral health in pediatrics.

Oral health is important in all stages of development of childhood. Oral hygeine is important to keep the mouth clean, healthy by brushing to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Promoting oral healthcare in children involves by their parents, dentists, other health professionals, educational resources, etc. Proper brushing and flossing helps the teeth and gums free from germs.

Main recommendations:

1. From birth to 3-4 months, parents should clean infant's gum with water-soaked cloth mildly. This gives stimulation of infant's gum tissue and helps to remove food materials like breast milk substances.

2. From four months to 6-7 months of age, parents should gently wash the infant's gum with water-soaked cloth. After 6 months milld fluride content tooth paste can be used to clean the mouth. Fluride is important in prevention of dental decay and other dental diseases. Parents should gently brush their baby's teeth by supporting baby's head. Brushing should be applied twice a day with soft brush and small amount of tooth paste. This brushing procedure is continued till the baby on 2 years of age.

3. After 2 years of age, a dental consultation can be done. Parents should teach the child to brush their teeth with fluride tooth paste. Parents should monitor and assist carefully about their brushing. Brushing time should set less than 2 minutes. Teach the child flossing after every brushing. This will help removing all small food particles from mouth. This helps mouth free from germs. Parents should replace child's toothbrush every 3 months. Rinsing the mouth with antiseptic mouthwash is also recommended for child's dental health. This gives the mout a full protection from germs. Selection of mouthwash should be low level content of alcohol. This dental hygenie process should continue to 2-8 years of age.

Barriers:

1. Delaying of dental checkups. Lack of dental hygenie knowledge causes dental infections. Irregular and improper method of oral cleaning causes dental and gum diseases. In order to maintain a healthy oral care, proper guidance of brushing and flossing should applied. Correct time of dental consultation of child helps healthy oral care.

2. Financial and social problems. This factor causes low attention to oral care. Proper oral hygenie should not be done in such categories.

3. Absence of attending schools and educational institutes. Education is important for a healthy life. Without going schools or absence from educational centers create illeteracy and creates improper functions regarding dental care. Also, if parents are not educated, oral hygenie to their child may be intereputed.    

Resources:

Promoting oral healthcare in pediatrics involves so many individuals, mainly parents, dental professionals and technicians, other healthcare professionals, educational resources, etc. Main resource to promote success in dental care is from family. Performing childrens a regular oral health care and dental checkups is also a promoting factor in healthy dental care. Proper guidance and assistance of parents gives the child to perform perfect brushing, and flossing of mouth and keeps healthy teeth and gums. Resource of dental professional must be added to improve the promotion of success.