Baby steps: a systematic approach to the infant oral health visit

Abstract

For practitioners who wish to offer the infant oral health visit in their practice, some new knowledge and skills may be needed, and it is hoped that the following advice and systematic approach will facilitate both practitioner and family. The visit should include a formal caries risk assessment, which is generally best achieved with the aid of a tool such as the Caries Risk Assessment Checklist (CRAC),1 which is suitable for all children, or a specific tool aimed at the 0-3 age group, such as the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s (AAPD) Caries-risk Assessment Tool (CAT).2