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Gum Disease Research Paper

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When most people think of gum disease, they don't picture children or even toddlers. While gum problems are more common in adults, children can and do develop gum disease. However, there are ways to prevent it, and if your child is showing signs of it, it can be reversed with proper treatment. If your child's gums looking anything other than healthy, then you need to learn how to improve your child's gum health and keep your child from ever getting it again.

Types of Gum Disease Children Develop and Prevention

There are three main types of gum disease that children can develop. First, there is gingivitis, which is the most easily preventable just by having your child maintain good dental hygiene. Children who brush at least twice a day for two full minutes each time and also floss daily are less likely to develop gingivitis than children who don't brush or floss regularly. If your child is very young and has not reached puberty, then this is likely the type …show more content…

They are both more common in pre-teens and teenagers. If gum inflammation is only present in part of your child's mouth, then that signals aggressive periodontitis. If all gum tissue in your child's mouth is inflamed, then that signals chronic periodontitis.

While good oral hygiene does play a role in preventing both types of periodontitis, there are other factors that may not be under your control that can make your child more susceptible to developing these more advanced forms of gum disease that can actually lead to bone loss in the mouth. One factor is genetics, and another is the presence of an inflammatory disease in their body.

Actually, since periodontitis occurs frequently due to underlying systemic (meaning full body) illness, it is important to alert your child's primary care doctor of this problem, as they may need tests run to determine if there is an underlying, undiagnosed disease causing this type of gum

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