title: Prevention for children and adolescents.
abstract: Preventive oral health care for the growing child begins before birth and continues through adolescence. The basic elements of a good preventive program remain the same but the importance of each one changes as the child grows and develops. As the child grows, the parent's role in oral health care changes. The infant is totally dependent upon the parent for all aspects of care, the young child is beginning to assume some responsibility for his own care but the parent must still see that things are done properly, and with the teenager, the parent's role has been religated to that of observer with greatly reduced control over what is accomplished. In the same way as the parental role changes from that of provider to that of observer, the professional role changes from teaching parents what to do to that of provider of care the parents cannot provide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, MCV School of Dentistry, Richmond, VA 23298-0566.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Farrington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003777:Dental Prophylaxis; D005459:Fluorides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010290:Parents
chemical_list: D005459:Fluorides