A lot of these parents are unaware that the bottle or nursing will cause (cavities) if a child is left on the bottle or nursing too long,"

I am a nursing instructor in the state of Delaware. I take nursing
students on an obstetric unit in a local hospital. One of the subjects
taught to the new mothers should be dental care beginning with care of
the newborn's gums, however, this is rarely seen. The belief being
since there are no teeth yet, what is the importance of performing oral
care. I had a dental school instructor ask to bring her students onto
the unit where I also work as a maternity nurse. The director of this
unit refused to have the students come on the unit siting privacy
issues. This lack of importance from many disciplines may be
contributing to the poor dental hygiene of this children. Delaware
also has a severe problem recruiting dentists at all and there are very
few that will take children without insurance, if any. It is also
difficult to see a dentist even if you do have insurance. Prevention
is the key in all health care areas and I believe
starting as early as the newborn period could significantly reduce the
problem.
Brenda