Oral Health and Childhood Obesity - Article Example

Child Obesity and Oral Health Surname, Name Professor Course Institution Date Executive Summary i. Objective Child obesity and oral health care are not issues that should be treated lightly. Little kids, even those who are past the infant stage, do not have strong reasoning abilities that can help them make sound decisions concerning their health. This is a comprehensive essay that aims to, exhaustively, cover child obesity and health care. It will focus on Australia, although data from other countries may be used for comparison and clarity.It will discuss in details, the causes and key drivers to child obesity. It will explain different situations and environment, and give appropriate recommendations based on solid research and knowledge. It will approach the issue of oral health care among little children from a medical perspective, giving differences between poor and excellent oral health care, and sound appraisals for each one of them. ii. Data The data used in this essay is based on research and knowledge from several reading, which are all listed as references. Every borrowed information and statement has been cited. iii. Key Words Child obesity, oral health, oral health care, young children, parents and guardians Introduction Obesity and oral health care among children are among the medical topics of the modern age that have been on heated debates in the recent past(The National Health Survey, 2009). Different panelists have come up with a diversity of views and recommendations on these issues. However, there is still so much that should be addressed to bring the heat down. Gingivitis and dental caries are common among little children aged, seven years and below, while obesity is another key health issue that is like a night mare to many children (Swinburne Institute for Social Research, 2009). Australia is not an exception. Definition for key terms Child Obesity Obesity is a severe form of overweight. Obesity is measured in terms of the BMI (Body Mass Index). It is a medical condition where one accumulates excess body fats, posing a danger to their health. However, obesity has been described as an accumulation of the body’s weight fat to more than 20% of the entire body (Riltzer 2003). Child obesity is a dangerous health situation, which involves accumulation of body fats in children, affecting their wellbeing. Oral health A healthy smile is one of the gifts of life that is desired by everyone, at all ages. Oral health is a medical term that describesthe health of the mouth; the condition of the teeth, the breath, or the general health of the mouth. It is simply the general well being of the mouth; that is, teeth, tongue, and the breath (Riltzer, 2003). Child Obesity and Oral Health Causes of Obesity There are many causes of child obesity. However, to describe it in a single statement, we may say that child obesity is brought about when children take in more energy than what they use daily. The energy will be converted into glycogen and stored as fat in the body (Ha D, Roberts-Thomson K &Armfield J 2011). Past and Projected Child Obesity Rates OECD.Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/media/oecdorg/directorates/directorateforemploymentlabourandsocialaffairs/46069892Graph%201.PNG., Downloaded: 9th August, 2012 Too much eating is a key contributor to obesity. Some parents usually give too much food to their children in the name of love, and encourage them to eat all of it (Ha D, Roberts-Thomson K &Armfield J 2011). These children later develop the mentality that they must always eat large serving s of food. In the process, their bodies digest and store the energy from these foods in the form of fats, in their bodies. The mere low rate of physical activity among Australian children is another cause of the rising number of obese children in Australia. Modern day children in Australia engage in very little physical activity. Families have also reduced the number of times they spend out doors. They prefer being in doors, or hang out in a restaurant, where they would spend they whole day on snacks and soft drinks, which clearly contribute to the building up of fat. Parental love causes them to be too much concerned about the safety of their children. This means that as children grow up, they are hardly given a chance to play outdoors, unless in the counsel of their parents. Since parents may be busy must the time, the children hence have to stay indoors, watching movies, and playing computer games (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). Although a lot of pressure has been on the lifestyle of people, our family genes that is the family background, may also be a determinant of whether one will be obese or not. Some genes have been proved to increase the likelihood of rapid weight gain more than others. Consequences of Child Obesity Child obesity has truly fatal consequences. The first and most common is the adult obesity. Adult obesity has been observed to be an extension of child obesity. This is a vey ill health condition, which exposes the adult to the risks of heart attack, and other chronic illnesses like cancers. They may also develop other cardiovascular illnesses and stubborn skin disorders. Children are also likely to develop some chronic illnesses that are most common among the elderly(King, Kavanagh&Jolley, D., et al., 2005). Diseases such as type 2 diabetes sleep Apnoea and joint problems may affect children. It is worse when children start going to school; most of them have been reported to suffer from depression and stress, due to teasing form their school mates and bullying. Such children will always have a poor body image, which also lead to poor self esteem, affecting their general quality of life. Preventing Child Obesity Scholars have come up with remarkably many ideas and suggestions on how obesity can be prevented among young children. However, almost all of their suggestions and recommendations have ended up being grouped into three as follows. Active Lifestyle Young children should be encouraged to be active. Parents should try and eliminate fear. They should take their kids to outdoor activities regularly, and discourage them from spending too much time at their backyards. It also necessary that they reduce the number of times they drive their children. Taking a walk, once in a while, will help bring down the probability of their children being obese (King, Kavanagh&Jolley, D., et al., 2005). Healthy Eating It is crucial that parents and guardians not only practice healthy eating, but they should also encourage and teach their young one about the same. This will be an important step towards curbing child obesity. It is, hence, necessary that children are given nutritious foods at home. They should also be discouraged from eating too much of snacks, soft drinks, fries, and chicken, at short intervals. Reducing Screen Activities Research shows that exceedingly many children take most of their time on the screen, either watching television, or playing screen games. Screen based activities can be reduced effectively by parents, who set up house rules, stating the number of hours that are allowed on the screen. Such parents should be keen to set times when the screen should not be in use, especially daytime, when these children are supposed to be outdoors playing. Oral Health Care in Young Children Oral health is fundamental to the general body well being; it affects the lifestyle of people, since the mouth is used for eating and talking (Ha D, Roberts-Thomson K &Armfield J 2011). This means people with poor oral health may either find it difficult to eat or may not be comfortable in socializing with other people. It is hence vital that children’s oral health be taken care of, so that they may have a good life. Some diseases like dental caries may develop slowly, as shown in the figure below. If parents and guardians do not watch their children’s oral health, children may develop such diseases over time. Dental caries are usually very painful, even to adults. Early child caries are ore dangerous since the child is still developing. They are intensely painful and will always make children beterribly uncomfortable. Dental Caries Develops Slowly, in Stages Selwitz. Retrieved from: http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0140673607600312-gr1.jpg., Downloaded: 10th August, 2012 Child Oral Health Care in Australia Australia is one of the countries that have managed to successfully curb oral health care in children (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). The case has not been the same with adults. The country can boast of its remarked steps towards controlling oral health among children. The country has managed to kill a particularly large margin of dental caries and early childhood dental cavities. However, recent studies show that there has been a considerably large drop, with results indicating a drop of 21% in the number of children with healthy teeth. Poor Oral Health Care Poor oral health care among children is 90% influenced by parents. Most parents may argue that they love their children and that they take proper care of them (King, Kavanagh&Jolley, D., et al., 2005). However, the same parents buy them too much of sweets, which form the number one cause of poor oral health. Some scholars argued that poor oral health is common among the poor people. In Australia, it was discovered that in the year 2002, the aboriginals’ children had a larger percentage of people with poor health care, more than the nonindigenous Australians (Swinburne Institute for Social Research, 2009). However, another group of scholars has discovered that the percentage of the poor and the rich people’s children who have poor dental health is almost the same. This is because children who come from the well-off families are the one who are mostly exposed to too much of candies, biscuits, chocolate and ice-cream. Dental diseases are caused by bacteria, which feeds on sweet particles that are usually deposited on teeth. Since bacteria are living things, they must excrete. They release harmful acids and other chemicals which start eroding the teeth, gradually leading to a dental disease. Some of these chemicals and acids may also affect the nerves of the gums. It is hence essential that such kids should brush their teeth whenever they take sugary foods. Relationship between Child Obesity and Poor Oral Health Some scholars have maintained and tried to defend that there is no relationship between obesity and poor oral health(Werner, Phillips, &Koroluk, 2012). However, recent researches show that as the rate of child obesity is increasing, the number of children with dental caries ids also rising. This clearly proves that child obesity and poor oral health are very much inter-related. Child obesity is brought about when the excess energy in the body is stored as fats, which gradually accumulate to dangerous levels. One thing to note is that this energy comes from sugars. The same sugars are the fundamental cause of dental diseases (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). If this sugar is not taken care of, the result will be a dental problem (Ha D, Roberts-Thomson K &Armfield J 2011). Recommendations on Oral Health Care and Child Obesity Child Obesity and Oral health are both critical factors that should be analyzed in depth(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). The government should, therefore, consider aside funds to cater for them. Extensive public awareness campaigns should be carried out, to educate people about oral health and child obesity in Australia. Prevention is better than cure; one of the greatest achievements of this campaign will be the amount of money spent in hospitals, so that it can be set aside for other useful purposes. Since most dental cares in Australia are in the private sector, the poor and middle level Australians may not have adequate access to such facilities; the government should hence try to subsidize the rates for dental care, or set up good public oral care facilities that will cater for even for the poor man. Conclusion Child obesity and oral care are as fundamental as life itself. It is important that the health ministry and the government in general take responsibility to educate the public about their health. Parents and guardians should also take time to watch their children’s health, and avoid exposing them to a lifestyle that will make them vulnerable to either child obesity or poor oral health. References Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.Headline indicators for children's health, development and wellbeing, 2011. www.health.gov.au Dr. Selwitz, R.Dental Caries Develops Slowly, in Stages.Retrieved from: http://ars.els- cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0140673607600312- gr1.jpg., Downloaded: 10th August, 2012 Ha D, Roberts-Thomson K &Armfield J 2011. The Child Dental Health Surveys Australia, 2005 and 2006.Dental statistics and research series no. 54. Cat. no. DEN 213. Canberra: AIHW. King, T., Kavanagh, A.,Jolley, D., et al.(2005) Weight and Place; a Multilevel Cross Sectional Survey of Area-Level Disadvantage and Overweight and Obesity in Australia. International Journal of Obesity, Volume34, Issue1, pp 1–7. www.health.gov.au. OECD.Past and Projected Child Obesity Rates.Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/media/oecdorg/directorates/directorateforemploymentlabourandsocialaf fairs/46069892Graph%201.PNG., Downloaded: 9th August, 2012 Riltzer, K.National Health and Medical Research Council, Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents 2003, viewed 6 May 2009, www.health.gov.au. Swinburne Institute for Social Research.Child dental health survey Australia 2007 30-year trends in child oral health, 2009.http://apo.org.au/node/29599 TheNational Health Survey (NHS). Oral Health of Children who are overweight or obese. AUSTRALIAN SOCIAL TRENDS 4102.0 SEPTEMBER 2009, www.health.gov.au. Werner, S. L., Phillips, C. &Koroluk, L. Ds. 2012.Association between Childhood Obesity and Dental Caries.Pediatric Dentistry, 34, 23-27 Read More

 

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