[Etiology of nursing caries]

Some etiological factors believed to play a role in the genesis of nursing caries (i. e. prolonged bottle-feeding, prolonged breast feeding, illnesses, drug intake and hospitalization) were analyzed and evaluated. A group of 179 pre-school children with a clinical picture of nursing caries were examined. Prolonged bottle--and breast-feeding were recorded in 54% and 72% of the children, respectively. Allergy, respiratory, infections and other diseases were observed in 71% of the children. Drugs were frequently taken by 57%, and hospitalization was recorded in 32% of the children examined. Prolonged bottle- and breast-feeding were found to significantly influence the occurrence of nursing caries (p less than 0.001.) No significant relationship was found between illnesses, drug usage or hospitalization, and the occurrence of nursing caries. The prevalence of nursing caries as assessed in a sample of the children from Zagreb was 15%.