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Halloween is right around the corner, and many shoppers have already stocked up on bite-sized candies to pass out to costumed kids trick-or-treating on Halloween night. At this time of year, as sugary treats are more available to kids, it’s especially important to think about dental health.

Early childhood caries (cavities in baby teeth) are the leading cause of chronic disease in children, so children need to get off to a good start with dental health.  During last year’s Halloween season, we released an NPCH Report that showed many young kids are not getting the dental care they need.

Even though it’s recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that children visit the dentist at age 1 or when their first teeth emerge, our Poll showed that many young kids still had not visited a dentist. Read the full report: Many young children off to a poor start with dental health.

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We also asked parents of young children when they thought the first dental visit should take place for kids. Among parents of 1-2-year-olds, just 37% thought the first dental visit should occur at age 1 or earlier. Additionally, 49% said kids should visit the dentist between age 2-3 and 14% said age 4 or older. This shows there is still work to be done to raise awareness about dental health recommendations among parents and primary care providers in order to keep kids healthy and prevent serious oral health problems.