Breastfeeding, Introduction of Food and Use of Pacifier on the Stomatognathic System of Children with Mixed Dentition

AbstractThe objective of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal breastfeeding, artificial feeding, types of introduction of complementary food introduction and the use of bottle and pacifier on lip /tongue pressure and maximum molar bite force of school children. Thirty-five healthy children with mixed dentition (20 boys and 15 girls), aged 6-10 years, participated in this study. The children were evaluated based on anthropometry, electronic scale and portable stadiometer, feeding practices (breastfeeding, artificial feeding, introduction of complementary food), bottle and pacifier use, tongue and lips strength and molar bite force. The results were submitted to ANOVA (p <.05). The sample showed a predominance of children with adequate height and weight for age. In the analysis of the influence of the food introduction period, the complementary food consistency and the pacifier use; it was observed that these factors did not influence the pressures of the lips/tongue statistically. In the evaluation of the influence of bottle feeding, the data showed higher bite force for children who never used the bottle, statistically significant data for the right and left sides (p ≤ .003 and p ≤ .001, respectively). The authors suggest that the type of breastfeeding received by the children may have a negative impact on the stomatognathic system functioning, evidenced by the lower maximum molar bite force found in the bottle-fed children. Keywords: Breast Feeding. Bottle Feeding. Bite Force. ResumoO objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os efeitos do aleitamento materno, alimentacao artificial, tipos de introducao complementar de alimentos e uso de mamadeira e chupeta na pressao labial / lingual e forca maxima de mordida molar em criancas em idade escolar. Participaram 35 criancas saudaveis com denticao mista (20 meninos e 15 meninas), com idades entre 6 e 10 anos. As criancas foram avaliadas com base em antropometria, balanca eletronica e estadiometro portatil, praticas de alimentacao (amamentacao, alimentacao artificial, introducao de alimentos complementares), uso de mamadeira e chupeta, forca da lingua e labios e forca de mordida molar. Os resultados foram submetidos a ANOVA (p < 0,05). A amostra demonstrou predominância de criancas com altura e peso adequados para a idade. Na analise da influencia do periodo de introducao dos alimentos, da consistencia do alimento complementar e do uso de chupeta, observou-se que esses fatores nao influenciaram estatisticamente as pressoes dos labios / lingua. Na avaliacao da influencia da mamadeira, os dados mostraram maior forca de mordida para criancas que nunca usaram a mamadeira, dados significativos para os lados direito e esquerdo (p ≤ 0,003 ep ≤ 0,001, respectivamente). Os autores sugerem que o tipo de aleitamento materno recebido pelas criancas pode ter impacto negativo no funcionamento do sistema estomatognatico, evidenciado pela menor forca maxima de mordida molar encontrada nas criancas alimentadas com mamadeira. Palavras-chave: Aleitamento Materno. Alimentacao Artificial Forca de Mordida