Problem Statement In the United States, dental caries (cavities) are one of the most prevalent chronic conditions found in children (Center for Disease Control, 2014). Teeth gain cavities when the tartar on the teeth build up (Kapner, 2017). Tartar is plaque, a combination of acid, food pieces, bacteria, and saliva that bonds together into a sticky substance, that was not removed from the tooth (Kapner, 2017). According to a study conducted in 2014 by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about 20% of children between the ages of 5-11 have at least one untreated cavity. Fluoride is a mineral found in rocks and soil that help prevent tooth decay (National Institutes of Health, 2014). Dentists use fluoride to treat both enamel dentine cavities
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These gaps in their knowledge may lead the parents to make decisions based on false beliefs. One common misbelief concerns the necessity of a biannual teeth cleaning. Due to most insurances only covering one fluoride treatment a year, some parents opt out of having a fluoride treatment at both cleaning appointments and some parents opt out altogether of a second cleaning appointment. My research question is: How does the frequency of caries in children vary depending on the number of months since their last cleaning visit and the dentists used fluoride on their teeth at that …show more content…
(2014, November 10). Children's oral health. Retrieved August 30, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/children_adults/child.htm
Fernández, C. E., Tenuta, L. A., & Cury, J. A. (2016). Validation of a cariogenic biofilm model to evaluate the effect of fluoride on enamel and root dentine demineralization. Plos ONE, 11(1), 1-13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146478
Kapner, Michael. (2017, August 16). Dental cavities. Retrieved August 28, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001055.htm
Mahat, G. (2017). Parental knowledge about urban preschool children's oral health risk. Pediatric Nursing, 43(1), 30-34. Retrieved from https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=ce68663e-86ca-4003-ab74-5b2883d5e045%40sessionmgr4009
National Institutes of Health. (2014, February 26). The story of fluoridation. Retrieved August 28, 2017, from
These gaps in their knowledge may lead the parents to make decisions based on false beliefs. One common misbelief concerns the necessity of a biannual teeth cleaning. Due to most insurances only covering one fluoride treatment a year, some parents opt out of having a fluoride treatment at both cleaning appointments and some parents opt out altogether of a second cleaning appointment. My research question is: How does the frequency of caries in children vary depending on the number of months since their last cleaning visit and the dentists used fluoride on their teeth at that …show more content…
(2014, November 10). Children's oral health. Retrieved August 30, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/children_adults/child.htm
Fernández, C. E., Tenuta, L. A., & Cury, J. A. (2016). Validation of a cariogenic biofilm model to evaluate the effect of fluoride on enamel and root dentine demineralization. Plos ONE, 11(1), 1-13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146478
Kapner, Michael. (2017, August 16). Dental cavities. Retrieved August 28, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001055.htm
Mahat, G. (2017). Parental knowledge about urban preschool children's oral health risk. Pediatric Nursing, 43(1), 30-34. Retrieved from https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=ce68663e-86ca-4003-ab74-5b2883d5e045%40sessionmgr4009
National Institutes of Health. (2014, February 26). The story of fluoridation. Retrieved August 28, 2017, from