Dental researchers are combining the ease of digital photography with the Internet to develop a new and inexpensive way to screen for a common childhood oral disease that predominantly plagues America’s inner city toddlers – early childhood dental caries (ECC), or as it is commonly called, “baby bottle tooth decay.” The cavities are caused by prolonged exposure to sweetened juices, often from sleeping with a bottle, and tend to be overlooked by parents until the pain becomes so severe, and the teeth so decayed, that the only option for these toddlers – often under the age of four – is sedation and extraction.
