Sugar consumption and early cessation of breastfeeding before the age of two increase the risk of cavities in children.
- When the first teeth appear, around 6 or 8 months, parents can use “first age” brushes with extra soft bristles to brush the gums and teeth.
- According to the Health Insurance, around 6 or 7 years old, a child must know how to brush his teeth on his own.
Until six months, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended by theWorld Health Organization (WHO). Afterwards, “IChildren should begin to eat safe and adequate complementary foods while continuing to be breastfed until they are two years of age or beyond.” The advantages presented by the health authority are multiple: “higher intelligence test scores“, less risk of suffering “overweight, obesity or diabetes later”.
Breastfeeding avoids giving processed and sugary foods
But, according to a new study published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiologybreastfeeding a baby up to two years, and not giving him sugar, would also be beneficial to protect his teeth, more specifically to fight against cavities.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed the health data of more than 800 children. 22.8% of them had cavities. “We observed that breastfeeding for 24 months reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods or foods with added sugar, acting as a protective factor against dental caries“, explains Marly Augusto Cardoso, one of the authors in a communicated.
66.7% of children ate sugary foods more than five times a day
High sugar consumption contributes to the formation of bacterial plaque on the teeth, which promotes the appearance of cavities. Breast milk, on the other hand, partly demineralizes the enamel of the teeth, but this process is only triggered if there is a consumption of sugar beforehand. “Some previous studies have shown an association between prolonged breastfeeding – for 12 months or more – and the occurrence of dental caries, but without taking into account the role of early consumption of added sugar by these children, continues Marly Augusto Cardoso. Our research has shown that the high risk of cavities even with prolonged breastfeeding comes from sugar consumption.”
It is therefore not maternal lactose that promotes the occurrence of cavities in children, but sugar consumption. Indeed, among the 800 children, only 7.6% had never consumed sugar before their one year and 2.8% before their two years. In contrast, 66.7% ate foods with added sugar more than five times a day.
Sugar consumption, a dietary habit that can become permanent
“Even if the affected teeth are baby teeth, dietary habits like consuming large amounts of sugar in early childhood tend to become permanent and pose a risk of developing dental caries later in life. develops Jenny Abanto, another researcher who participated in this work. Other studies have also shown that having dental cavities in early childhood usually means having them in adolescence as well.” The ideal is therefore to breastfeed your baby for as long as possible, to avoid giving him processed foods that are often high in sugar.
