Feeding and dietary practices of nursing caries children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The aim of the study was to determine the feeding and dietary practices of Saudi nursing caries children in Riyadh. A sample of nursing caries children attending the dental clinics of three health care facilities in Riyadh was selected for the study. The information about the feeding and dietary practices was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 74 nursing caries children, 34 (45.9%) male and 40 (54.1%) female with a mean age of 55.0 (SD 20.0) months participated in the study and, their mothers completed the questionnaire. About two-thirds of the children (65.0%) were breast-fed before sleep and a similar percentage (60.8%) was breast-fed during sleep. More than two-thirds (68.9%) were bottle-fed with liquids such as fresh fruit juices (51.4%), packed juices (43.2%) and soft drinks (81.1%). The mean age of starting to drink in a cup was 25.1 (SD 10.4) months. The most popular (71.6%) drinks in a cup were fruit juices. More than two-thirds (71.6%) of the children were taking soft drinks directly from a container and, about two-thirds (60.0%) of the children started drinking directly from a container at or before the age of 24 months. Almost all the children (93.2%) were taking sweets; about half (45.9%) of them taking sweets twice or more daily. It was concluded that the study children have feeding and dietary characteristics (typical of nursing caries) such as breast-feeding before/during sleep, nocturnal/nap-time bottle-feeding, excessive consumption of fruit juices/soft drinks from a container and a high frequency of sweet intake.