Association between feeding habits and severe - early childhood caries in children up to 24 month old

Abstract Introduction During the first two years of life children’s nutrition is mostly based on frequent, liquid and sweetened meals which can cause Severe-Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) development. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between dietary habits and S-ECC in children up to 24 month-old living in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods Cross-sectional study included representative sample of 192 children. Before dental examination of children, each parent/caregiver was interviewed about the basic info, socio-demographic characteristics and children's eating habits. The questionnaire was conducted as interview (“face to face”). Subjects were divided into two groups: the first group - children with S-ECC and the second group - caries free children. For statistical analysis and presentation of results SPSS 16.0 for Windows, MS Office Word and Microsoft Office Excel were used. Results In the study sample 34.9% of children were suffering from S-ECC. About 50% of children who were breast-fed at night after first tooth eruption had S-ECC. The use of baby bottle with milk or other sweetened content during bedtime and during the night was identified as significant caries risk factor (P <0.05). Conclusion Nighttime breastfeeding, use of bottle with milk during bedtime/nighttime or other sweetened content during night after eruption of first primary tooth were strongly associated with S-ECC in the examined children.