Abstract
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breast feeding for at least six months. However, there is no scientific evidence of the benefits of breast feeding for oral health in children under primary dentition. This study aimed to search for scientific evidence regarding the following question: is bottle feeding associated with malocclusion in the primary dentition compared to children that are breastfed? An electronic search was performed in seven databases. The systematic review included 10 cohort studies. It was not possible to conduct meta-analysis; therefore a qualitative analysis was assessed. The majority of studies evaluated feeding habits by means of questionnaires and conducted a single examination. Three studies observed that bottle feeding was significantly associated with overjet and posterior crossbite. Studies reported several cut-off times for breastfeeding (varying from 1 month up to 3 years of age) and several types of malocclusion. Controlling for non-nutritive sucking habits was reported for only half of the studies and this may have led to biased results. The scientific evidence could not confirm a specific type of malocclusion associated with the feeding habits or an adequate time of breastfeeding to benefit the children against malocclusion. Further cohort studies are needed to confirm this evidence.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health [1]
The following were the inclusion criteria for this systematic review: prospective cohort studies conducted among children ≤seven years of age addressing breastfeeding, bottle feeding and the risk of malocclusion in the primary dentition
Among the 223 studies selected for the full-text analysis, 10 cohort studies were included in the present systematic review (Figure 1)
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health [1]. These recommendations are supported by a systematic review which states the benefits of breastfeeding for six months for minimizing the risk of gastrointestinal infection and growth deficits in young children [2]. Despite the medical benefits of breastfeeding, no systematic review has evaluated the long-term benefits of breastfeeding for oral health, especially related to malocclusion in the primary dentition. When analyzing malocclusion in the primary dentition the interaction between genetic and environmental factors has to be considered. It is important to keep in mind that malocclusions have negative effects on oral health-related quality of life, predominantly in the dimensions of social and emotional wellbeing [5]
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