Dental Caries in Children from Birth Through Age 5 Years: Screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care providers prescribe oral fluoride supplements for children ages 6 months to 5 years whose water supply doesn’t have enough fluoride. USPSTF also recommends that primary care providers put fluoride varnish on the baby teeth of infants and children once those teeth start to come in. In addition, USPSTF found insufficient evidence to assess whether the benefits of having primary care providers screen for tooth decay in young children outweigh the harms.