Current studentsExisting staffContact us
 

Bottle feeding to sleep beyond 12 months is associated with higher risk of tooth decay and overweight in Australian children: Findings from the Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids cohort study

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorCheng, H.
dc.contributor.authorJohn, J.
dc.contributor.authorScott, J.
dc.contributor.authorDenney-Wilson, E.
dc.contributor.authorDo, L.
dc.contributor.authorBhole, S.
dc.contributor.authorBaur, L.
dc.contributor.authorArora, A.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractObjective: Bottle feeding to sleep may increase early childhood caries (ECC) and overweight risk through sugar exposure and overfeeding. This study examined the association between feeding to sleep at 24 and 36 months on both ECC and overweight at 3-4 years. Methods: Participants were children in the Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids longitudinal birth cohort. Exposure was bottle feeding to sleep at 24 and 36 months. Outcomes were ECC (prevalence; number of caries-affected tooth surfaces, dmfs) and overweight at 3-4 years. Results: 718 and 729 children had dental examinations and anthropometric measurements, respectively. 30.3% and 21.7% of children were bottle-fed to sleep at 24 and 36 months, respectively. Feeding to sleep at 24 months was associated with higher odds of overweight (OR 1.90, 95%CI 1.06-3.38) and moderately associated with higher caries (dmfs 1.48, 95%CI 1.00-2.20). Feeding to sleep at 36 months was associated with higher caries (dmfs 1.88, 95%CI 1.22-2.91). Conclusions: Feeding to sleep was associated with higher odds of overweight and higher numbers of caries-affected tooth surfaces. Communicating appropriate sleep, settling and bottle cessation methods throughout early childhood may prevent ECC and overweight. Implications for Public Health: Early interventions addressing bottle feeding could reduce the dual burden of ECC and obesity
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityHeilok Cheng, James John, Jane Scott, Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, Loc Do, Sameer Bhole, Louise Baur, Amit Arora
dc.identifier.citationAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2025; 49(2):100224-1-100224-9
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.anzjph.2025.100224
dc.identifier.issn1326-0200
dc.identifier.issn1753-6405
dc.identifier.orcidDo, L. [0000-0003-3684-9949]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/147356
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1069861
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1033213
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1134075
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/189596
dc.rights© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Public Health Association of Australia. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.anzjph.2025.100224
dc.subjectearly childhood caries; overweight; bottle feeding; toddler health; feeding behavior; cohort study
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshDental Caries
dc.subject.meshBottle Feeding
dc.subject.meshPrevalence
dc.subject.meshRisk Factors
dc.subject.meshCohort Studies
dc.subject.meshLongitudinal Studies
dc.subject.meshSleep
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshInfant
dc.subject.meshAustralia
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.subject.meshOverweight
dc.titleBottle feeding to sleep beyond 12 months is associated with higher risk of tooth decay and overweight in Australian children: Findings from the Healthy Smiles Healthy Kids cohort study
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

Files

Collections

Research Outputs