By Alison Majikes/Special to TheDailyFloss.com

Here’s some good news for your Sunday…

According to a recent from report federal health authorities, cavities in preschool-aged children seem to be declining, resulting in fewer children having untreated dental decay.

According to an article by the New York Times on Thursday, it was the first decline in dental decay in this age group since 2007, which was the year that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a sharp rise in decayed baby teeth.

Since then, parents have been diligent about their children brushing more thoroughly and putting a strong emphasis on oral hygiene.

Dr. Bruce Dye, lead author on the past two C.D.C. reports on oral health said that now “only 10 percent of preschooler kids have untreated tooth decay.”

Many experts were encouraged by the downward trend in the little ones teeth, and especially in toddlers, since those with a considerable amount of decay in their teeth need to get treated under general anesthesia in an operating room, which is something no parents wants to put their child through if they can prevent it.

There are many factors that might contribute to this decline, with one possibility the increased number of pediatric dentists today as compared to five or 10 years ago. Also, more pediatricians have been trained to tell parents to visit a dentist prior to their children’s first birthday.

As a result, more young children are getting their cavities filled and fewer are dealing with pain from tooth decay day in and day out. Great news for parents, children, and the dentists who treat them!

To read the full story and more about tooth decay in children and teenagers: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/untreated-dental-decay-is-falling-among-children/?_r=0

Alison Majikes is a National Accounts Representative at Benco Dental with a journalism degree from Penn State and to this day she has never had a single cavity (knock on wood).