The study, which is based on of the nation's dental health in more than 25 years, also noted that older children now suffer from fewer cavities and adults have less periodontal disease than in the past, indicating an awareness of dental health among them.
The study also added that though more of the elderly are retaining their teeth but what experts are mainly concerned about is prevalence of cavities in baby teeth of children ages 2 to 5. According to latest survey, the cavities saw an increase of 28 percent in 1999-2004, from 24 percent in 1988-1994.
But the good news is, there has been a decline is tooth decay in young children for past 40 years mainly because parents are now giving their children more processed snack foods than in the past. Other reasons could be the preference of bottled water or other drinks instead of fluoridated tap water.
AP quotes study's lead author, Dr. Bruce Dye of the National Center for Health Statistics as saying, "They're relying more on fruit snacks, juice boxes, candy and soda for the sustenance of preschoolers."
However, experts say that the sudden rise in the number of cavities in kids can be blamed on sweet diet like chocolates and other confectionary. Experts recommend parents to begin bringing their children to the dentist at age 1. Also, they must help their young children brush properly.
The study based its findings from surveys done in 1988-1994 and compared them with the average results from surveys done in 1999-2004. The results are being reported Monday at a meeting of the American Association for Public Health Dentistry in Denver.
