Tips to prevent COVID-19 in Children

Populations at higher risk for many chronic diseases are similar to those at higher risk for developing oral diseases. Common risk factors include stress, poor diet, alcohol and tobacco use, substance misuse, behavioural health issues, domestic violence, and poverty. Many of these factors have been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are important tips to prevent covid-19 in children.

Dental caries, dental trauma, abnormality of development and oral habits are most common dental diseases in children. Therefore, it has to be made sure to not to delay or avoid your children’s dental visits. As more becomes known about the coronavirus, here is what parents and guardians need to know about Child Dental Care and COVID-19.

How likely is it for a child to become sick with COVID-19?

Children of all ages can become ill with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). But most kids who are infected typically don’t become as sick as adults and some might have mild symptoms or no symptoms. However, some children become severely ill with COVID-19 and might need to be hospitalised, treated in the intensive care unit or placed on a ventilator to help them breathe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition, children with underlying conditions might be at higher risk of serious illness with COVID-19 :

  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • who were born prematurely
  • Kids chronic lung disease
  • Children who have congenital heart disease
  • Differently abled children who have genetic conditions or
  • who have conditions affecting the nervous system or metabolism

In rare cases, children can become very sick with COVID-19, and deaths have occurred.

How are babies affected by COVID-19?

Babies under age 1 might be at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19 than older children. This is likely due to their immature immune systems and smaller airways, which make them more likely to develop breathing issues with respiratory virus infections. To clarify, Newborns can become infected with the virus during childbirth or by exposure to sick caregivers after delivery.

Is there a COVID-19 vaccine for children?

As of now, no country in the world is giving vaccines to children. However, trials of Covid-19 vaccine on children are going to begin soon in India.

Do children need a COVID-19 vaccine?

A COVID-19 vaccine can prevent your child from getting and spreading the COVID-19 virus. On the other hand, If your child gets COVID-19, a COVID-19 vaccine could prevent him or her from becoming severely ill.

Symptoms of COVID-19 in Children

Most children recover within one to two weeks. Possible symptoms can include:

  • Fever or chills.
  • Nasal congestion or runny nose.
  • Cough.
  • Sore throat.
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
  • Fatigue.
  • Headache.
  • Muscle aches or body aches.
  • Nausea or vomiting.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Poor feeding or poor appetite.
  • In addition, New loss of taste or smell.
  • Belly pain.

Tips to prevent COVID-19 in Children

Paediatric dentists play a significant role in the elimination of pain and suffering during dental emergencies in children. Dr. Rohini Josan Malik, Chief Paediatric Dentist at Max Super Speciality Hospital explains dental emergencies are potentially life-threatening. Moreover, they require immediate treatment to stop ongoing tissue bleeding, alleviate severe pain or infection.

  • Most Importantly, parents should inculcate good oral hygiene and dietary habits to children from an early age, guide, and supervise them in their oral health management and disease prevention, which can avoid critical illnesses.
  • Secondly, effective oral hygiene and cleaning measures include tooth brushing and floss.
  • Avoid feeding during sleep time.
  • The occurrence of dental caries in children is related to the frequency of eating and food nature. Therefore, Parents should reasonably plan children’s diet. Avoid consumption of foods with high sugar content.
  • Keep the child’s nutrition balanced and prevent overeating.
  • Guide children to develop regularity habits. They should get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and exercise correctly
  • Maintain the right attitude, and enhance their body immunity.
  • Lastly, compulsion wear of mask in order to stop the spread through respiratory droplets while coughing and sneezing.

For children :

  • Keeping the hands clean.
  • Practice social distancing.
  • Clean and disinfect your home.
    • Wipe down toys and surfaces your child touches regularly.
  • Wear cloth face masks.
  • Cough and sneeze with care.
    • Encourage everyone in the family to cough and sneeze into their elbow or tissue papers, instead of their hand
    • Wash their hands after each time this occurs.
    • Throw away tissues after use.
  • Keep hands off faces.
    • Parents should remind children to avoid touching their face as much as possible.
  • Above all, keep track of who your child comes into close contact with.

For newborn babies :

  • If mother is infected:
    • During hospitalisation after childbirth, wear a face mask and have clean hands when caring for your newborn.
    • On mild infection, maintain a reasonable distance from your baby when possible. However, if you are severely ill with COVID-19, you should isolate or separate yourself from your newborn temporarily.
  • If the baby is infected:
    • Infants who have COVID-19 or who can’t be tested and have no symptoms might be discharged from the hospital, depending on the circumstances.
    • Secondly, Baby’s caregivers should wear face masks and wash their hands.
    • After that, Frequent follow-up with the baby’s health care provider.

To conclude, during and post COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, it is essential for safeguarding this viral infection control and prevention in paediatric dental practices. The role of parents and paediatric dentist and their dental team requires specific guidance to deal with dental problems of children in the dental area during and post-pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 disease. We hope as parents these tips to prevent COVID-19 in Children is helpful.

Together we can definitely win this battle against COVID 19. For dental appointments, call +91-991-444-6677 or visit Max Dental Care.

 

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