The following quote is taken from the clinical specifications developed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in 2008, and I thought it would be helpful for parents to share the following excerpt: “Oral health is a part of general health. Conditions of the mouth can interfere with diet and proper nutritional intake, speech, self-esteem, and daily activities. Early childhood caries may be severely deficient due to pain and non-eating. Rampant caries is one of the factors leading to underdevelopment in children without other medical problems.”