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Infant feeding and dental caries--a longitudinal study of Swedish children
Insights
Early childhood diet impacts future dental caries. A 12-month dietary pattern, particularly high intake of sucrose-rich foods, was linked to cavities by age 3, suggesting early intervention is key for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood caries is a significant public health issue.
- Maternal education and socioeconomic factors can influence child diet.
- Early life dietary habits are crucial for long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between 12-month-old children's dietary habits and their caries status at age 3.
- To identify specific dietary patterns associated with early childhood caries.
- To explore the influence of maternal education on children's diet and caries prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study involving 312 children in Sweden.
- Dietary assessment conducted at 12 months of age.
- Caries examination performed at 3 years of age in 275 children.
Main Results:
- 16% of children had caries at age 3.
- Higher maternal education correlated with healthier food choices and lower intake of sucrose-rich foods at 12 months.
- Children with caries at age 3 consumed more cakes, butter, bread, and sweet soups at 12 months.
- Discriminant analysis identified sucrose-rich food consumption as a key factor differentiating caries groups.
Conclusions:
- A dietary pattern linked to dental caries development is established by 12 months of age.
- Maternal education is a significant factor associated with children's dietary habits and caries risk.
- Targeted dietary counseling for infants (12-18 months) could be effective in preventing preschool caries.
Abstract:
The aim of the study was to compare dietary habits in children at the age of 12 months with the caries status at the age of 3. In 312 children, residing in 3 different parts of Sweden, a dietary study was carried out at 12 mo. of age, and in 275 (88%) a caries examination was performed at the age of 3. At 12 months of age, higher education of the mother was positively correlated with consumption of bread, vegetables, fruit and meat and negatively with frequency of sucrose-rich foods. At the age of 3, caries was diagnosed in 16% of the children. The prevalence of cavities was related to the level of education of the mother in all 3 areas, cavities being most numerous in children whose mother had received a shorter education. A discriminant analysis showed that the equation discriminating the two a priori defined groups, one with and one without caries at the age of 3, contained a number of sucrose-rich foods. The 3-year-old children with caries had generally consumed cakes, butter, bread and sweet soups more frequently at the age of 12 months than the children in the non-caries group. The analysis thus indicated that - on the group level at least - a dietary pattern, which may be casually linked with future dental caries development, was already established at the age of 12 months. Dietary counselling, when the child is 12-18 mo. of age and based upon information about the dietary habits of the child could thus be of value to prevent caries in the preschool child.