The association between the length of time a mother breast-feeds and extensive caries should be a consideration in any local infant feeding policies or health promotion strategies. The duration for appropriate breast- or bottle-feeding should be emphasised.

No abstract

The types of foods and drinks consumed as snacks by young Jordanian children were similar to those of Western countries. In the absence of more widespread oral health promotion measures and in the presence of high prevalence and severity of caries,the oral health of Jordanian children is a matter of concern.

Objective To investigate the association between type of food and drink consumption, sociodemographic factors and prevalence and severity of caries in 4-5-year-old Jordanian children. Method Two-stage random sampling procedure was used to select children enrolled in kindergartens in Amman. Clinical examinations were carried out by one examiner. Mothers completed a questionnaire relating to sociodemographic factors and food and drink consumption. Results Snack foods were consumed by a high percentage of children. Amongst the most popular 'high in NME sugar snacks', confectionery was reported to be regularly consumed by 76% and biscuits and cakes by 71% of them. More than 50% had carbonated drinks. Children from a lower social class, attending a kindergarten with lower tuition fees had more dessert, squashes and more teas with sugar. When all variables were considered, consumption of confectionery was independently associated with caries prevalence and consumption of teas with sugar was independently associated with caries severity. Conclusion The types of foods and drinks consumed as snacks by young Jordanian children were similar to those of Western countries. In the absence of more widespread oral health promotion measures and in the presence of high prevalence and severity of caries, the oral health of Jordanian children is a matter of concern.Sugars, and more particularly sucrose, are concluded to be the principal dietary cause of caries. 1 Often contained in manufactured foods and drinks, sugars form a component of most human diets. In the UK, for example, sugars are believed to contribute 10-20% of food energy. 2 It has been suggested that differences in diet and particularly sugar intake may be an important determinant of the variation in caries seen between social classes. 3 However, the relationship between sugar consumption and caries is not always clear. Much of the evidence is circumstantial and has been open to criticism. Within the last two decades some reports have shown relatively clear associations between differing measures of sugar intake and occurence of caries 4-7 but others have shown differently. 8,9 Some studies have also failed to demonstrate clear social class differences in consumption of sugar-containing foods. 5,10 It has been suggested that the association between sugar consumption and caries is weak in countries where caries prevalence is low and that this failure may be partly a result of the introduction of preventive methods, particularly those involving fluoride. 11-14 This will not be true in developing countries where preventive methods are less widely available and where sugar consumption may be higher and have a more detrimental effect. 15,16 However, there is relatively little information about the amount of sugar consumed and patterns of consumption in developing countries. The information available suggests that sugar consumption is increasing and that it is higher in the Middle East than in other developing areas. 16,17 Past failure to demonstrate a relationship between ...