Pocket Book of Pedodontics Nikhil Marwah
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IntroductionChapter 1

  • ❑ Infant
  • ❑ Toddler
  • ❑ Preschool
  • ❑ Middle year child
  • ❑ Adolescent
2
  • Pedodontics is the art and science and that branch of dental science, which deals with comprehensive, interceptive oral health in children from childhood to adolescent age particularly and complete health in general
  • Pedo is derived from Greek word ‘pais’ meaning child and dontics is the study of teeth
  • Patient-doctor relation in Pedodontics 2:1
  • In pedodontics, the parent and the child both are involved and this relation is called a pedodontic triangle
  • Recently a new parameter society has also been added
  • American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (1999) defined “Pediatric dentistry is an age defined specialty that provides both primary and comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs.”
 
INFANT
  • Till 15 months
  • Neonate advances from relative helplessness to a position of ambulatory toddler
  • Basic needs of child are hunger, thirst, sleep and his development is related to these factors
  • During infancy the main and only environment of child is mother
  • Infant also experiences his first form of fear, referred to as stranger anxiety
  • By 4 to 6 weeks he starts to acknowledge some one other by a smile
  • Stranger anxiety: Due to fear of losing mother.
  • Peek-a-boo game: He has the mother at his want and has control over her appearance
  • Gasping reflex: When a finger is placed in child's hand, he closes the fist in a grasping manner which is so firm that force of hand cannot be released by child's whole weight
    3
  • Rooting reflex: If the cheek of baby is touched he shifts his head towards stimulus
  • Moro reflex: Can be elicited as a response to sudden, large sound or by suddenly withdrawing support.
 
TODDLER
  • 15 months – 2 years
  • The child begins to get into greater contact with the realistic principle
  • Young infant strives to receive pleasure
  • Displays an ambivalent nature wanting to remain an infant one moment and yet grow up the next instant
  • Rapid development in cognitive and verbal skills and self-awareness
  • Dental Examination: This is done while the child is in parents lap
  • Dental Radiographs: Toddler is usually not cooperative for radiographs
  • Minor Dental Caries: Can be excavated with a spoon excavator and small enamel hatchets
  • Prophylactic Means: Tolerate gently administered toothbrush prophylaxis.
 
PRESCHOOL
  • 2–6 years
  • Behavior pattern is easily observed
  • Skilled in the use of words and symbols
  • Influenced by his immediate environment
  • Play is more role-playing
  • Readily identifies people and places; uses hand tools for intended purposes
  • Bizarre storytelling
  • Fears are both real and unreal
  • Everything is animistic
  • Euphemisms and modeling is useful.
    4
 
MIDDLE YEAR CHILD
  • 6–12 years
  • Peaceful period of time
  • Time for joining others of own sex
  • Understands what is seen
  • Child possesses prelogical reasoning.
 
ADOLESCENT
  • Above 13 years
  • It is a pause in the cycle of life
  • Individual is no longer a child but not yet an adult
  • Marked by physical growth spurt, maturation of primary and secondary sex character
  • Self-awareness becomes intensified and results in new push for independence
  • Adolescent wants to be popular with everyone but selects his/her friends from certain set
  • Have a large number of casual acquaintances
  • Dentist finds working with adolescent a pleasant experience, as they will respond in an appropriate manner.
  • Early Adolescence:
    • 12 to 14 years in girls and 13 to 15 years in boys
    • Inner social feelings are directed towards teachers, movie stars and persons of same sex
    • Fear and defensive response of repression
  • Middle Adolescence:
    • 14 to 16 years
    • Turmoil of adolescence
    • Sexual relationships are formed
    • Testing out bodies and experimenting with new sensations, relationship and limit setting
    • Rebellion against parent values, life styles and limit setting
  • Late Adolescence:
    • Consolidation takes places
    • Struggle is done with oneself rather than with environment
    • The major tasks are source of age identity.