Deciduous teeth play a significant role in the normal development of occlusion, as a guide for the eruption of permanent successors. Early loss of deciduous teeth in the primary and mixed dentition stage alters the integrity of dental arches and is one of the main causes of malocclusion in permanent dentition. Management of space created by early loss of the deciduous tooth is important to prevent or intercept malocclusion, either by eliminating the need for orthodontic correction in future or to reduce the complexity of correction in permanent dentition. Hence, the role of paediatric dentistry is immense in space management as a part of managing developing dentition and occlusion in comprehensive oral health care of children.

A habit is a repetitive action that is being done automatically and is resistant to change. In the infantile period, certain repetitive behaviours are common, the majority of them begin and stop spontaneously. If oral habits persist beyond a particular developmental age, it results in unfavourable outcomes for the developing teeth, occlusion and surrounding orofacial tissues. Oral habits are considered one of the main causes of malocclusion, leading to unfavourable growth and development of dentoalveolar, which starts in the early childhood and mixed dentition stage. The severity of malocclusion depends on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the habit. Early detection and interception of the habit should be done by parent/child habit awareness and counselling, elimination, etiology, behaviour modifications and correction of malocclusion.

Dental caries remains a significantly prevalent public health problem globally for both developing countries and deprived inhabitants in developed countries. The WHO Oral Health Programme persists in emphasizing the importance of public health methods for the effective use of fluorides in the prevention of dental caries. Early research and development were concerned with waterborne fluorides, both naturally occurring and their controlled addition, with emphasis on the effects of fluoridation on the prevalence and incidence of dental caries. More recently, systematic reviews summarizing these extensive databases have indicated that water fluoridation and fluoride toothpaste both substantially reduced dental caries. Fluoride must be present in the right place, namely in saliva and dental plaque at the right time to interfere with the tooth decay process. This process is a swing and balance affair between acid dissolution and remineralization of the tooth surfaces. In addition, in conditions where the incidence and prevalence of dental caries in the community are high to moderate, or when there are firm indications that the incidence of caries is increasing, a supplementary source of fluoride should be contemplated.