By what age should an infant have a dental home established?

By what age should an infant have a dental home established?

• A. By age 1
• B. By age 2
• C. By age 3
• D. By age 4

Answer: (A)

Establishing a dental home early means creating an ongoing relationship with a dental team that provides preventive care, education, and timely treatment. For infants, the recommended goal is to have that dental home in place by age one. This window allows the clinician to track the eruption of teeth, assess caries risk, apply preventive measures like fluoride varnish when appropriate, and coach parents on brushing, diet, and bottle or pacifier habits. It also sets up a trusted source for anticipatory guidance as the child grows and transitions to more regular visits. Waiting until age two or later misses the early opportunity to prevent early caries and to support families during the critical period of primary dentition eruption and habit formation, making later establishment less effective. So the correct timing is by age one.

Establishing a dental home early means creating an ongoing relationship with a dental team that provides preventive care, education, and timely treatment. For infants, the recommended goal is to have that dental home in place by age one. This window allows the clinician to track the eruption of teeth, assess caries risk, apply preventive measures like fluoride varnish when appropriate, and coach parents on brushing, diet, and bottle or pacifier habits. It also sets up a trusted source for anticipatory guidance as the child grows and transitions to more regular visits. Waiting until age two or later misses the early opportunity to prevent early caries and to support families during the critical period of primary dentition eruption and habit formation, making later establishment less effective. So the correct timing is by age one.