As much as we want to “believe” that early dental preventive practices can prevent restorative dental care later in life, the evidence is growing that this may not be the case.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with other similarly thoughtful medical groups, endorses the practice of preventive dental care for children starting at 6 months of age. However, the evidence base for these practices is slim, and the current article adds further doubt to some of these recommendations.

This study is about as meticulous in design and reportage as one can be in a study involving retrospective analysis of an administrative database.