February is National Children's Dental Health Month and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) pediatric dentists are on a mission to remind parents to ensure their children are developing good dental-care habits.

"The biggest thing Children's Dental Health Month does is give us an opportunity to bring awareness," said Lt. Samantha Jette, a dentist at NMCP. "A lot of people say, 'oh they're just baby teeth, they'll fall out and get replaced anyway.' Baby teeth are actually just as important to take care of and they can affect adult teeth."

Despite being preventable, the most common chronic disease in children is tooth decay.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated one out of five children aged five to 11 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth, and one out of seven adolescents aged 12 to 19 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth.

However, there are safe and effective preventive measures that can protect teeth, and the NMCP Dental Department staff is ready to help.

"In this environment, we see a lot of special needs kids here," explained Cmdr. Mark Boone, NMCP pediatric dentist and orthodontist. "The stress on those families is unbelievable. Between physician appointments and everything else, those are the patients we have revisit."

Good oral hygiene practices, such as thorough brushing with fluoride toothpaste, can help keep children from getting cavities.

In addition, dental sealants and water fluoridation are two other strategies that can help prevent tooth decay.

Dental appointments are a big part of ensuring a child is healthy. Infants should have a dental appointment by the time they turn one years old.

Seeing most of pediatric patients through the emergency room, the dental staff advises parents to find a dental provider or dental home in town.

"Finding what we call a dental home is so important," Boone said. "We have people who transfer so often that it can be difficult. Finding a dental home early is imperative."

Although NMCP treats children with special needs and emergency situations, the facility is not equipped to be a dental home for children.

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/.