Is there an association between breastfeeding and dental caries among three-year-old Australian Aboriginal children?

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dc.contributor.authorHaag, D.G.
dc.contributor.authorJamieson, L.M.
dc.contributor.authorHedges, J.
dc.contributor.authorSmithers, L.G.
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractAn unresolved question about breastfeeding is its effect on caries, in particular, early childhood caries (ECC). In secondary analyses of data from an ECC intervention, we describe breastfeeding among Aboriginal children and associations between breastfeeding and ECC. Breastfeeding (duration and exclusivity to six months) was grouped into mutually exclusive categories. ECC was observed by a calibrated dental professional. Outcomes were prevalence of ECC (% decayed, missing, and filled teeth in the primary dentition (% dmft>0)) and caries severity (mean number of decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (mean dmfs)) in children aged three years. Analyses were adjusted for confounding. Multiple imputation was undertaken for missing information. Of 307 participants, 29.3% were never breastfed, 17.9% exclusively breastfed to six months, and 9.3% breastfed >24 months. Breastfeeding >24 months was associated with higher caries prevalence (adjusted prevalence ratio (PRa) 2.06 (95%CI 1.35, 3.13, p-value = 0.001) and mean dmfs (5.22 (95% CI 2.06, 8.38, p-value = 0.001), compared with children never breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding to six months with breastfeeding <24 months was associated with 1.45 higher caries prevalence (95% CI -0.92, 2.30, p-value = 0.114) and mean dmfs 2.04 (-0.62, 4.71, p-value = 0.132), compared with never breastfeeding. The findings are similar to observational studies on breastfeeding and caries but not with randomized controlled trials of breastfeeding interventions. Despite attending to potential biases, inconsistencies with trial evidence raises concerns about the ability to identify causal effects of breastfeeding in observational research.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityDandara G. Haag, Lisa M. Jamieson, Joanne Hedges and Lisa G. Smithers
dc.identifier.citationNutrients, 2019; 11(11):1-11
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/nu11112811
dc.identifier.issn2072-6643
dc.identifier.issn2072-6643
dc.identifier.orcidHaag, D.G. [0000-0001-6722-6635]
dc.identifier.orcidJamieson, L.M. [0000-0001-9839-9280]
dc.identifier.orcidHedges, J. [0000-0002-2413-5992]
dc.identifier.orcidSmithers, L.G. [0000-0002-6585-7836]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/122698
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/627350
dc.rights© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112811
dc.subjectAboriginal
dc.subjectbreastfeeding
dc.subjectcaries
dc.subjectchildhood
dc.titleIs there an association between breastfeeding and dental caries among three-year-old Australian Aboriginal children?
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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