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The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between feeding practices in the first year of life and the occurrence of severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) at 4 years of age. A birth cohort study (n = 500) was conducted in children who were born within the public health system in São Leopoldo, Brazil. Feeding practices were assessed using standardized methods at 6 and 12 months of age. A total of 340 children were examined at 4 years of age. S-ECC was defined as recommended by an expert panel for research purposes: ≧1 cavitated, missing or filled smooth surfaces in primary maxillary anterior teeth or d₁₊ mfs ≧5. Poisson regression with robust variance was used in order to determine the early feeding practices which represent risk factors for the occurrence of S-ECC at 4 years of age. The multivariable model showed a higher adjusted risk of S-ECC for the following dietary practices at 12 months: breastfeeding ≧7 times daily (RR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.45–2.68), high density of sugar (RR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.08–1.89), bottle use for liquids other than milk (RR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.08–1.86), as well as number of meals and snacks >8 (RR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.02–1.97). Mother’s education ≤8 years was also associated with the outcome. The present study identified early feeding practices which represent risk factors for caries severity in subsequent years. These findings may contribute to developing general and oral health interventions, with special attention to families with low maternal education.

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Objectives 1) Quantify the relative association between child dental caries experience and maternal-reported child oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL); 2) Examine whether that association differed according to family socioeconomic status (SES); and 3) Explore whether absolute OHRQoL varied by family SES at similar levels of child caries experience. Methods Among children in Southern Brazil (N=456, mean age: 38 months), OHRQoL impact was quantified as mean score on the Brazilian Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) and compared over categories of caries experience (dmft: 0, dmft: 1–4, dmft: ≥5). Adjusted ECOHIS ratios between caries categories were calculated using regression modeling, overall and within socioeconomic strata defined by maternal education, social class, and household income. Results Caries prevalence (dmft >0) was 39.7%, mean ECOHIS score was 2.0 (SD: 3.5), and 44.3% of mothers reported OHRQoL impact (ECOHIS score >0). Increasing child caries experience was associated with worsening child and family quality of life: ECOHIS scores were 3.0 times greater (95% CI: 2.0, 4.4) for children with dmft ≥5 versus dmft=0, a pattern that persisted regardless of family socioeconomic status (P-for-interaction: all >0.3). However, adjusted for dental status and socio-demographics, mean ECOHIS scores were lower when reported by mothers of less educational attainment (ratio: 0.7 ; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.0), lower social class (ratio: 0.7; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.0), or in lower income households (ratio: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.4, 1.2). Conclusion Dental caries was associated with negative child and family experiences, contributing to diminished OHRQoL across all social groups; yet, families facing greater disadvantage may report lesser quality of life impact at the same level of disease experience. Thus, subjective quality of life measures may differ under varying social contexts, with possible implications for service utilization, evaluating oral health interventions, or quantifying disease morbidity in low SES groups.

Home nutritional advice during the first year of life decreases caries incidence and severity at four years of age in a low income community.

Intake of fiber below the minimum recommendation is a risk factor for chronic constipation in children.

ECC is a public health problem in that population. The home visits for dietary advice appear to help reducing dental caries in infants. Greater efforts are needed to tackle cariogenic dietary behaviours even further, as a relevant proportion of children of the intervention group were shown to present with dental caries. Further studies should examine the effect of the intervention in the longer term.

(relative risk, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.75, 1.12) and severe ECC (RR, 0.87; 95%CI, 0.64, 1.19) were not statistically significant. There was a protective effect among mothers who remained exclusively at the same health center 0.68; 95%CI, 0.47, 0.99) and among those naming the health center as their principal source of feeding advice 0.53; 95%CI, 0.29, 0.97