Best Practice Approach: Early Childhood Caries: Prevention and Management (2023), a report from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD), asserts that prevention is more effective in addressing ECC than invasive treatment procedures. Improving oral hygiene and oral health literacy of caregivers can positively affect the oral health of children. Engaging public messaging campaigns can encourage caregivers to improve their own oral health before and during a child’s early years, so the child learns healthy habits and the transfer of cariogenic bacteria is reduced. The current oral health care delivery and reimbursement systems should expand preventive and treatment services beyond dental offices and provide oral health care where children spend most of their time, such as early childhood programs and schools. Finally, public policy must be flexible to allow medical health professionals and others to use effective therapeutics to prevent, manage, and treat ECC.
