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1st Dental Visit: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure

Bhavna Dave, Roshani Patel, Seema Bargale, Anshula Deshpande, Vaishnavi Shah and Gaurav Chawda

Introduction: At the age of 1st year, the 1st dental visit to the pediatric dentist should arise. A regular 1st dental visit of a child to the clinic is a principal role of the children’s well-being which serves the level of the preventive side of dental care which child will earn so it will help in the upcoming oral health of the child. This study was conducted to recognize average age of the 1st dental visit of the children and their treatment needs. Aim: To evaluate 1st Dental Visit of children according to their treatment needs reported to the institute between 1/04/2016 to 31/3/2017. Methodology: This retrospective study was done by using the case documents of 900 children in K.M. Shah Dental College and Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat. The age groups of the children were categorized into five categories; 0-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years and 13-14 years with 15 chief-complains (Regular dental checkup, Dental caries, Dental pain/sensitivity, Discoloration of teeth, Deposits/bad breath, Ulcers, Malocclusion, Unerupted, missing or extra tooth, Oral habit, Trauma, Orientation to prevention, Cleft lip and palate, Mobile teeth, Soft tissue lesions and Natal/Neonatal teeth). Assessment of the age group and the most common chief complaint at the 1st dental visit was done. Results: Maximum number of the children visited to the department were among 7-9 years of age (37.6%). The most common chief-complain was pain (34.9%) followed by dental caries (31.2%). Conclusion: The apprehension regarding the 1st dental visit and prevention approach is less among this population.