Part
1: Case Study
No, ALL of the listed factors should be considered in your risk assessment of Jessie:
Caries susceptibility/history of the child's parents:
It is important to note that caries susceptibility runs in families, owing to some combination of factors, and children from caries-susceptible families should be identified as being at risk.
Socio-Economic Status (SES):
SES of a family is a risk marker because dental caries is increasingly a disease of people of low SES. Eighty percent of the dental caries in the US can be found in approximately 25% of the population. This proportion is typically children of poverty.
Race/ethnicity
Caries rates in some communities are also higher among some racial and ethnic groups, in particular African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.
Education Status
Lower maternal education levels also have been associated with dental caries risk.
Child's Medical History
Prematurity and very low birthweight are associated with the presence of enamel defects and hypoplastic, malformed enamel, often subclinical, that can predispose teeth to caries at an early age. Women should be advised to optimize nutrition during the third trimester and the infant's first year, when enamel is undergoing maturation. Hypoplasia is common in children with low birthweight or systemic illness in the neonatal period. There is evidence that malnutrition/undernutrition during the perinatal period causes hypoplasia, which can predispose these areas to caries. Supplementing milk with vitamins during the first several years of a baby's life leads to reduction in the prevalence of linear enamel hypoplasia, a condition that may be associated with futurte development of dental caries. Observe the enamel hypoplasia on the incisal edges of these maxillary anterior teeth.