A Review of Ayurvedic Approach on Pediatric Dental care

Abstract

Oral diseases have always been a major health problem for the human beings. Good oral hygiene starts as early as infancy with natural phenomenon of dentation. Management of dental conditions is more challenging in children than adultsdue to the dental issues. Hence, they have always been a major concern in pediatric practice. Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine and pediatric dental care has been described at various places in Ayurveda texts. Dentistry has been explained in Shalakyatantra of Ayurveda as ten dantarogas and several associated rogas in mukharogaprakaranam. Kasyapa Samhita considers teeth as an index of good health. Acharya Kashyapa gives more informative data about dantotpattiprakriya (physiology of teeth eruption), dantasampath(ideal teeth), factorsthat affecting teething, types of dentation, aprasastadanta (pathology in dentistry) and complications of the early eruption of teeth. Acharya Vagbhata also explained about dentation, dantodbhedajanyavikara (disease associated with teething), dentation disorders, itstreatments andcare. Hence an attempt has been made here to review the available detailed descriptions about pediatric dental care as per ancient and modern parallels in a systematic manner. The scientific validations may be further easilywith the help of aforesaid pediatric dental care descriptions in Ayurveda. Thereafter, integrated protocols for management ofvarious pediatric dental conditions may be developed in conjunction with modern pedodontics that ensuring a wholesome care of its subjects.