Children who are breastfed for more than two years are more likely to have tooth decay, new research suggests
New mothers are bombarded with information about the benefits of breastfeeding.
But new research suggests it is not without its downsides.
U.S. researchers found children who are breastfed for extended periods are more likely to have tooth decay.
They discovered that the more frequently a mother breastfeeds her child after the age of two, the more likely the child is to have severe tooth decay.
The scientists, led by Benjamin Chaffee at the University of California, Berkeley, studied a link between longer-term breastfeeding and cavities in 458 babies in low-income family into Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Most of the babies they studied were old enough to be eating solid foods as well as breast milk.
For the study, the researchers checked on the babies when they were about six, 12 and 38 months old.
At six months, the study team gathered information about the number of breast milk bottles the baby drank the day before as well as about what other liquids the baby had consumed.
At the 12-month mark, parents reported whether they fed their babies any of 29 specific foods, including fruits, vegetables, beans, organ meat, chocolate milk, cookies, honey, soft drinks or sweet biscuits.
Two trained dentists examined all of the babies at each of the visits.
Nearly half of the children had consumed a prepared infant formula drink by age six months, the researchers write in the Annals of Epidemiology, but very few still drank formula by age one.
The researchers found that about 40 per cent of children breastfed between ages six and 24 months had some tooth decay by the end of the study.
For babies breastfed for longer than two years and frequently, that number rose to 48 per cent.
When a child is sucking on a bottle or their mother's breast, their teeth are sealed off from saliva. It is saliva that breaks down bacteria to prevent cavities forming
‘Our study does not suggest that breastfeeding causes cavities,’ Dr Chaffee said.
It is possible that breast milk in conjunction with excess refined sugar in modern foods may be contributing to the greater tooth decay seen in babies breastfed the longest and most often, the authors speculate in their report.
More research is needed to determine what's going on, but the findings are in keeping with professional dental guidelines that suggest avoiding on-demand breastfeeding after tooth eruption, they write.
‘There are two aspects of breastfeeding - the actual human milk, which has some, but very little, ability to promote tooth decay,’ said Dr William Bowen, professor emeritus in the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York.
Experts say mothers should clean their babies' gums, even before teeth have appeared, to remove excess food
‘The second is the physical aspect of breastfeeding, or even bottle-feeding, and that's where the problem arrives,’ he added.
When a baby sucks on a mother's breast or from a bottle, the baby's teeth are sealed off from saliva in the mouth.
This physical barrier prevents the saliva from breaking down bacteria, and increases the chances of tooth decay, Dr Bowen said.
Even though participants in the study came from poor backgrounds, ‘bad habits can form at any socioeconomic level,’ Dr Bowen told Reuters Health.
About 16 per cent of babies in the U.S. were still exclusively breastfed at age six months last year, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
The good news, Dr Bowen said, is that it's very easy to clean an infant's teeth.
A simple wipe in the mouth with a water-dampened cloth can effectively remove food before the baby's first teeth, he said, adding: ‘It's important to get the excess food out of the mouth.’
‘Finding the right age to wean a baby off breast milk can be a decision made with the support of a paediatrician,’ Dr Chaffee said, adding that dental health is one consideration that could play a role.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that babies are fed breast milk exclusively for the first six months of their lives, with solid foods added to the diet at that point.
However, the WHO also recommends continued breastfeeding up to age two and beyond, the authors note.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2582555/How-breast-not-best-Babies-breastfed-two-years-likely-tooth-decay.html#ixzz2wLr7f8V6
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