Dawaa Reference

chronic

Tooth decay in baby teeth

Treatment options, dosing, cautions and Egyptian brands from the shipped Dawaa Reference card.

Evidence status

Checked against the sources named below

Sources3 sources

Dental Caries - StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK551699) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551699/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class DD65.02 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified against1 document
  • No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Verified date2026-08

Presentation reference

Is it this?

Reference only, to read alongside your own examination.

Symptoms — what the patient reports (2)

  • The child usually has toothache and struggles to eat [toothache]
  • Chewing and speech suffer, so eating, drinking, talking and mixing with other children can all be affected

Signs — what you find (6)

  • It picks off the four upper front baby teeth while the lower ones stay sound
  • Other teeth may be involved, but less badly
  • Earliest sign is a white chalky band along the gum edge of the upper front teeth, which parents miss
  • That band deepens into cavities ringing the tooth neck as a brown-black collar
  • The lower front teeth stay healthy or show only slight decay
  • In severe disease the upper front crowns are destroyed and only root stumps remain

Tests (4)

  • Examine the child fully, since poor dental health rarely stops at the mouth
  • A full dental examination with periapical films inside the mouth, or a panoramic x-ray
  • Establish the state of the pulp before planning treatment
  • A blood count is sometimes needed as well

If not this — what else fits (3)

  • Developmental enamel defects: dental fluorosis, amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta
  • Medical, background and dietary history sorts those out
  • Decay and a developmental defect can coexist, the defect making decay likelier

SourceStatPearls "Early Childhood Caries" - disease-level clinical article

Presentation findings are traced to the source above.

1

NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)

1st line
Adult dose and duration

Cavities in primary teeth; GP gives analgesia for pain, dietary and fluoride advice, and refers to a dentist for restorative treatment or extraction. - Refer, with advice

Paediatric dose

Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is implied.

Dose source

No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

Why

Cavities in primary teeth; GP gives analgesia for pain, dietary and fluoride advice, and refers to a dentist for restorative treatment or extraction.

Cautions
  • No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
  • RED FLAG - Facial swelling or cellulitis from a spreading dental abscess, fever, or difficulty swallowing or breathing (Ludwig's angina): refer urgently.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.