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A kiss on the mouth or sharing utensils can pack bacteria

When Rachel Sarah took her minx in for her leading dental checkup a few years ago, teenybopper got a surprise. Not only did her 24-month-old affirm two cavities in her daughter teeth, the pediatric dentist suggested she resourcefulness have “caught” them from her mom.

“The dentist handed me this sis of paper that talked about saliva transfer,” uttered Sarah, a 37-year-old writer from San Francisco. “It verbal not to share cups or utensils or provision and said, ‘No kissing your kid on the lips.’ I was unsettled; I’d been taking a bite of food further then giving her a bite now she started eating. I told the dentist I’d never heard of this and he said these were new findings.”

As it turns out, studies about the transmission of cavity-causing bacteria from mom to baby admit been published considering 30 years. The primary culprit is Streptococcus mutants, a bacteria that importance pass from person to companion through the guide of saliva, matching as sharing utensils, blowing on food, and yes, even kissing that sweet little passel of joy on the mouth.

According to a 2008 inspect in Pediatric Dentistry, “strong evidence demonstrated that mothers are a primary source of MS [mutans streptococci] colonization of their children; a few investigations showed other potential sources … parlous fathers.”

“There have been many, many studies,” said Dr. Jane Soxman, a pediatric dentist from Allison Park, Pa. “It’s well-documented. You can’t encumbrance it all on kissing a child on the lips — that’s apart of diversiform different factors that would have to be working clever. But the cardinal interest to discriminate is that tooth decay is a bacterial infection again you trust spread true from one person to another during the window of infectivity, which is during infancy and especially during the time of tooth itch. That’s when the teeth are most perilous. It’s as if you had a bad cold and were kissing your child, you would flowering the cold virus.”

Only parents (or caregivers) go underground active tooth decay power spread the Streptococcus mutans bacteria over the transfer of saliva. And Soxman drawn that the transmission of bacteria-laden saliva is just one spring chicken of the problem. Tooth decay is caused by a combination of factors, including the forward of infectious saliva, genetics, oral hygiene, and feeding practices, homologous as letting your baby constantly suck on a sippy cup full of juice or milk or other sugar-laden liquid. (Bacteria uses the sugar to discharge acid, which juncture renounced enamel.) teenager teeth are particularly vulnerable to decay.

“When teeth optimum show into the mouth, when they first erupt, the enamel is powerful soft,” said Soxman. “They’re brand new virgin surfaces and are very susceptible.”

But the decay won’t useful tension baby teeth. If the bacteria are allowed to thrive, Soxman said, they entrust colonize again stick around for years, attacking the abiding teeth when they come in.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that parents opine their youth evaluated by a dentist when the super tooth erupts, or no later than their chief birthday.

Chew Xylitol gum
Luckily, skillful are preventative measures that can help kick the bacteria to the regulation. A January 2010 speculate control the Journal of Dental Research found that the progeny of moms who succulent Xylitol pulp (prototypal in the sixth future of pregnancy) “were significantly less planned to show MS colonization.”

“If a doll is decay-active, she should be chewing Xylitol in the third trimester so when the baby’s born, the chance of transmission of decay-causing bacteria will be reduced,” said Soxman. “She should also have her teeth cleaned in fact during the sustain and questioning trimester.”

Cutting shoulder on saliva-transferring behaviors — allied through utensil-sharing, toothbrush sharing, blowing on baby’s food, pre-chewing baby’s food and cleaning off the pacifier with your own entry — will besides assistance.

But some say that’s easier uttered than done.

“It’s one job to tell parents who consider engaged decay to buy for extra cautious, and it’s chief to be quick of as the extend of us, but I don’t swallow I’d be virtuous to fully eliminate those behaviors,” vocal Marcy Hogan, a 29-year-old stay-at-home mom from San Jose, Calif. “They’re prohibitively natural behaviors and actions. I don’t want to duck kissing my baby also I don’t be cognizant how I’d get around blowing on his food. Sometimes it’s too malignant and kids are not vitally patient.”

Dr. Stephanie Su, a pediatric dentist and leviathan of two from Redmond, Wash., said she tries to charge preventative measures as remarkably as doable being saliva transmit between shape besides child is almost “unavoidable.”

“When you double o at a lab test, yes, there’s transfer of bacteria, but in real life, you’re not going to act for adequate prevent that. You can’t valid in a bubble,” she said. “But you can maintain congruous hygiene practices and a applicable diet, and the parents can take misfortune of their own uttered health and focus on preventative task like flossing and dental checkups again chewing Xylitol gum if they’re at high bet for decay.”

Both dentists also fleck to a surefire workaround.

“You could do just about everything as long thanks to you wipe that baby’s mouth peripheral repeatedly with a spotless wet cloth,” said Soxman. “I tell parents to wipe the baby’s mouth exterior as often in that they modify the diaper. Wipe the tongue, the teeth, and the cheeks from infancy on. therefore the colonies of bacteria won’t be established.”