Implications
Tooth decay is a major child health issue for Indigenous children. Multiple studies have shown that Indigenous children are disproportionately burdened by dental cavities.¹  Dental cavities can contribute to adverse health effects, including altered chewing, eating and sleeping patterns due to pain, potential growth restriction, speech difficulties, low self-esteem, and poor bite.² It has also been associated with infectious diseases like respiratory tract infections and acute otitis media, as well as with obesity in children with families of low socioeconomic status, though possibly from common risk factors. Common risk factors for dental disease include poverty, which is prevalent among First Nations children, as well as prolonged use of the bottle or training cups containing sugary drinks and high consumption of sugary snacks. Disease prevention strategies that emphasize not only the preservation of healthy teeth, but also emphasize community development and address the determinants of health, are needed in Indigenous communities to help address dental disease.³

¹National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. (2013). Early Childhood Tooth Decay -accessed November 14, 2018.
²Irvine, J.D., Holve, S., Krol, D., Schroth, R., & the Canadian Paediatric Society, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health Committee. (2011). Early childhood caries in Indigenous communities: Position statement. Paediatric Child Health, 16(6), 351-7.
³First Nations Information Governance Centre. (2012). Report on the findings of the First Nations Oral Health Survey (FNOHS) 2009-10. Ottawa, ON: Author.