Prolonged Breastfeeding and Dental Caries In Children In the Third Year of Life

• Published in: The Journal of clinical pediatric dentistry Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 91 - 96
• Main Authors: Hartwig, Andreia Drawanz, Romano, Ana Regina, Azevedo, Marina Sousa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Age; Breastfeeding & lactation; Children & youth; Dental caries; Dentistry; Diabetes; Education; Health care; Industrialized nations; Longitudinal studies; Mothers; Obesity; Oral hygiene; Pediatrics; Prevention; Public health; Sucrose; Systematic review; dental caries; dietary sucrose; mother-child relations; food habits
• ISSN: 1053-4628; 1557-5268
• DOI: 10.17796/1053-4625-43.2.4

To assess the association between long-term breastfeeding and dental caries in children during the third year of life. This retrospective longitudinal study consisted of children who were followed-up by the Maternal and Child Public Oral Health Program. Information regarding socio-economic class, demographic status, daily frequency of sucrose intake, breastfeeding duration and oral hygiene were collected with the aid of a questionnaire. Information on dental caries in the children was collected from dental records. Negative binomial regression models were used to assess the association between breastfeeding duration and dental caries. We included a total of 325 children in the study. The incidence of dental caries was found to be 12.92%. Even after adjustments, children who were breastfed for a period ≥24 months were more likely to have dental caries, when compared with children who were not breastfed or were breastfed for less than 6 months. Children who had a higher frequency of sucrose intake and those with dental plaque were more likely to have dental caries. In this study, a greater incidence of dental caries was found in children who were breastfed for a period ≥ 24 months..