Early Childhood Cavities Prevention: Early Childhood Cavities, which includes Baby Bottle Tooth Decay, is an infectious disease that can be prevented. In Oregon, approximately two-thirds of low-income children have cavities. This is an amount approximately 40% higher than for children that are not in low-income families.

Early Childhood Cavities Prevention (ECCP) is a nationwide campaign to increase awareness about the importance of preventive oral health care in an infant’s first years.

More information about Oral Health Care for Infants and Children

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: It’s never too early to prevent dental disease. Primary (baby) teeth are important because they act as placeholders for permanent teeth, aid in proper speech development, nutrition, and self esteem. Cavities can occur in children less than a year old.

A newly revised brochure, “Keep your baby smiling… Prevent early childhood cavities,” provides useful information about the importance of healthy baby teeth and recommendations to prevent cavities. This colorful and easy to read brochure replaces the popular “Prevent Nursing Bottle Mouth” brochure. This brochure is geared towards parents and caregivers and is appropriate for use in medical, dental, and other social service or public health offices.  Click here to download a pdf version of the brochure or email to oral.health@state.or.us or by phone at 971-673-1376 to order copies. A Spanish version is also available.

Source: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/oralhealth/programs/eccp.shtml