ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE from the AAPD

In dental anticipatory guidance, parents are given counseling in infant oral hygiene, home and office-based fluoride therapies, dietary counseling, and information relative to oral habits and dental injury prevention.

ANTICIPATORY GUIDANCE: SUGGESTED CONTENT GUIDE – BIRTH TO THREE YEARS
Topic	6-12 months	12-24 months	24-36 months
Dental and oral development	milestones patterns of eruption environmental and genetic influences teething infant oral cavity	• occlusion • spacing issues • speech and teeth  • tooth calcification	last primary tooth erupted exfoliation future orthodontic needs radiographs
Fluoride supplementation	F mechanisms sources of F choice of F vehicles F and vitamins toxicity issues/ storage formula and F	• F dentifrice use • F in food sources  • avoiding excessive ingestion	• F use revisited at every interval • daily access
Non-nutritive habits	• pacifier use and types/safety • mouthing/oral stimulators	• digit habit issues • effect on occlusion	• revisit habit issues

Injury prevention	signs of trauma child abuse oral signs emergency access instructions implications for permanent teeth car seats	daycare instructions electric cord safety replantation warning Re: primary teeth child proofing	• helmet safety  • seat belts • safety network
Diet	nutrition and dental health bottle use and weaning sippy-cup use and content breast feeding caries process	role of carbohydrates (juice) exposures retention of food review caries process revisit sippy-cup issues	snacks frequency issues review caries process role of carbohydrates (juice) exposures revisit sippy-cup issues
Oral hygiene	oral as part of general hygiene acquisition of S. mutans positioning baby for oral hygiene special techniques	• child participation           • dentifrice use          • Fl dentifrice for            high risk	electric brushes/ toddler techniques use of floss continued parental participation