Effect of different patterns of breastfeeding on dental caries of children at 3-5 years of age

Aim: To study and compare the prevalence and severity of dental caries in children from 3-5 years of age with different patterns of breastfeeding practices. Materials and Method: All the children, aged 3-5 years, attending Immunization Clinic/ Outpatient Department were recruited for the study. The detailed lactation history was inquired from the mothers to assign them into 3 different study groups: A. Group I: Children who were not breast-fed. B. Group II: Children with exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and continued breastfeeding for ≤1 year. C. Group III: Children with exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and continued breastfeeding for >1 year but ≤ 2 years. The detailed case history was taken after recording child's basic information. A dental examination was carried out for each child and standardized indices were recorded for oral health assessment. Chi-square test was used for statistical significance of difference in prevalence of caries. Kruskal Wallis test and Mann Whitney test were used for inter group comparisons. Confounding variables were adjusted using negative binomial with log link function. Results: Children who were not breastfed (Group I) had 61% prevalence of caries and mean dmft index of 1.6. The prevalence of caries was 57% with mean dmft index of 1.0 in Group II and the prevalence of caries was 26% with mean dmft index of 0.6 in Group III. Negative binomial model proved highly significant relation of dental caries with breastfeeding up to 2 years. Conclusion: The prevalence and severity of dental caries was significantly less in breast fed children, especially in those children who were breast fed for 2 years.