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42 I I feature _ interview _In July, paediatric dentistry specialists gath- ered in Pasay City, the Philippines, for the 7th bien- nial congress of the Pediatric Dentistry Association of Asia. roots spoke with presenters Prof Jill Fer- nandez and Drs Neal Herman and Lily Lim from the New York University about their participation and recent developments in the field. _roots:TheUScongressrecentlyapprovedanew proposalforhealthcarereform.Inyouropinion,what impact will this policy change have on children’s dentalcare? Prof Fernandez: It is still too early to know what the final health reform bill will entail exactly, but as of now it does include mandatory paediatric dental carethatrequiresdentalcoveragebeofferedaspart ofanyessentialbenefitspackageforchildrenunder the age of 21. The new law will enable stand-alone dental plans to offer dental benefits as part of any healthinsuranceexchangeand/orsubcontractwith medical plans. The impact of this on the public and the profession could be monumental—the message is to begin oral-health preventive interventions early in the lives of children, and that oral health is an integral part of overall health. _TheoralhealthofchildrenintheUSispoorand caries figures are at an all-time high. What are the reasonsforthis? Prof Fernandez:Actually,theoralhealthofchil- dren in the US has improved significantly over the past few decades, when you look at a national sampleacrossallagegroups.Today,mostAmerican childrenhaveexcellentoralhealth,butasignificant subset suffers from a high level of oral disease. The most advanced disease is found primarily amongst childrenlivinginpoverty,someracial/ethnicminor- ity populations, children with special needs, and children with HIV/Aids infection. You might be referring to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that demon- stratedanincreaseindentalcariesfrom24percent to 28 per cent in the two to five-year-old group. The reasons for this are presently unclear, but this increase has reignited efforts in the US to improve accesstocareforthisagegroupandmotivatemore dentists to treat very young children in our popu- lation. _Early Childhood Caries (ECC) has increased not only in the US, but also worldwide. Should this area beconsideredanewpriorityinpaediatricdentistry? Prof Fernandez: ECC, and efforts in the inter- vention and treatment of early dental decay, has always been a major priority. In order to combat the current national epidemic of ECC in young children effectively, a more comprehensive, collaborative approachtotheeducationofparentsbyallnewborn andpaediatrichealth-careproviders,suchasnurses, paediatric and general dentists, dental hygienists, paediatricians, paediatric nurse practitioners, ob- stetricians and gynaecologists, is essential. TheAmericanAcademyofPediatrics(AAP)began a collaborative effort with paediatric dentists to address the issue of ECC. The AAP has made strides in developing educational programmes for paedia- roots3_2010 “The goals of treatment for primary teeth are not much different to that for permanent teeth” An interview with Prof Jill Fernandez and Drs Neal Herman and Lily Lim, New York University, USA Prof Jill Fernandez