Neither Children nor Adults: Challenges of Adolescent Oral Healthcare

Adolescence is a unique stage of human development between childhood and adulthood.

During this period, rapid changes in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth occur. While adolescence is often considered a healthy stage, it is also marked by significant health challenges. This might be a period of numerous behavioural shifts, including changes in dietary habits, negligence of oral hygiene, and engagement in risky behaviours. Consequently, adolescence can be a period of poor oral health, with increased caries activity, gingival disease, malocclusion, traumatic injuries to the teeth, and more. Increased, and sometimes unrealistic, aesthetic demands present an additional challenge.

Join this webinar to learn about the role of dental professionals in early detection of risky behaviours, initiating appropriate interventions, and tailoring oral healthcare for adolescents. The lecture will present the specifics of adolescent oral health and disease management during this period. Current protocols for caries prevention and minimum intervention oral care strategies will be reviewed. Various clinical techniques will be discussed, highlighting their advantages, potential risks, possible combinations, and limitations associated with their use in adolescent patients.

Learning objectives:

• To describe specific oral health needs of adolescents.
• To identify health-compromising behaviours and discuss their dangers, including the irreversible harm they may cause.
• To present current concepts in the prevention and early detection of oral diseases in adolescents.
• To describe minimum intervention / minimally invasive protocols for caries management in adolescents.