Nursing caries, linear hypoplasia, and nursing and weaning habits in Tanzanian infants

Abstract

Abstract— A cross‐sectional survey on the prevalence of rampant caries in infants and a case‐control study were executed to determine the prevalence of rampant caries and its etiology. A total of 2192 infants aged between 1 and 4.0 yr from nine regions of Tanzania comprised the sample of the prevalence survey. The overall prevalence of rampant caries resembling nursing canes was 6.8%. The prevalence varied considerably between 1.5% and 12.8% in the different regions and was closely associated with the varying prevalence of linear hypoplasia but not with fluoride content in drinking water. The relative risk of developing rampant caries in the presence of linear hypoplasia was 14.5. The case‐control study comprised 116 cases, infants with rampant caries and 243 controls, without the disorder. Risk factors such as breast feeding frequency and duration during day and night, bottle feeding and weaning habits were assessed through a structured interview with the mother. Bottlefeeding was performed in only a minority of the infants for a short period (1.1 months) and in a low exposure frequency (0.4 daily) and was not associated with rampant caries. The frequency of sugar moments in the supplementary diet was on average 1.5 times per day and was not associated with rampant caries. The duration and frequency of breast feeding during the day was also not associated. The habit of allowing infants to sleep with the breast nipple in their mouths and the presence of linear hypoplasia were strongly associated with rampant caries. Odds ratios for these variables were 17.8 and 15.6 respectively. Based on these associations it is concluded that rampant caries in this sample was caused by the habit of allowing infants to sleep with the breast nipple in their mouths, whereas linear hypoplasia is considered to be a predisposing factor.

Aleitamento materno e cárie do lactente e do pré-escolar: uma revisão crítica

“…65 As may be observed, most authors did not find a correlation between ECC and breastfeeding or with its duration. 12,[25][26][27]40,[65][66][67][68][69][70] The obtained results often are contradictory and the findings were not always reproduced. The same was observed by Valaitis et al in a systematic review of 151 articles.…”

“…Only 7% were being breastfed at 1 year. Other authors suggest that breastfeeding does not cause caries, but could be associated with the child s diet and the educational practice of the family The same as for Matee et al, 1994 There is no definition of carie. The study refers to other studies published by these authors.…”

Breastfeeding and early childhood caries: a critical review

“…Alguns autores não apresentaram definição para CLPE 40,64 , outros utilizaram múltiplas definições 12 ou definições próprias 65 . Como pode ser observado, a maioria dos autores não encontrou relação entre CLPE e aleitamento materno ou sua duração 12,[25][26][27]40,[65][66][67][68][69][70] . Os resultados encontrados freqüentemente contradizem-se uns aos outros, e os achados nem sempre foram reproduzidos.…”

“…Matee et al 66 , Tanzânia Wendt et al 64 , Suécia Matee et al 72 , Tanzânia Wendt et al 40 , Suécia Li et al 35 , China al Ghanim et al 73 AM = aleitamento materno; ceo-d = número de dentes decíduos cariados, extraídos (por cárie) ou obturados; CLPE = cárie do lactente e do pré-escolar; CSLPE = cárie severa do lactente e do pré-escolar; FE = faixa etária pesquisada; n = número total da amostra.…”

Role of Mothers in Prevention of Dental Caries: A Systematic Review

“…Whilst few studies reported that this association has not been established and requires further epidemiological research with strong design and analysis to prove this fact [47][48][49]. The early childhood caries burden varies among different communities and it is found high in disadvantaged and underprivileged communities [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. The snacking habit found different in low and high income groups.…”