Infant feeding practices and baby bottle tooth decay in hispanic women, infants, and children program participants

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Healthy People 2000 National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention objectives include improving parental and caregiver feeding practices that prevent baby bottle tooth decay (BBTD). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of BBTD and its relationship to reported infant feeding practices of preschool children participating in a dental screening study in San Antonio, TX. Face-to-face interviews were conducted by one trained bilingual interviewer with a total of 718 guardians/parents of Hispanic children (ages 6 months-5 years) in a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food Program who were examined and classified according to a four stage BBTD Severity Index developed by the authors. A 70 item forced-choice questionnaire, including 13 specific infant feeding practice items was developed, field tested, and translated into Spanish to address cultural sensitivity and regional issues. A portable computer and custom data entry program were used to document responses. The overall prevalence of BBTD was 12.9%. There was a significant difference (p<0.01) in prevalence of BBTD between breast-fed children (7.9%) and bottle-fed (17.5%). Napping with the bottle was reported to occur significantly (p<0.001) more frequently among those with BBTD. When respondents identified the age at which the bottle was stopped, the prevalence of BBTD was significantly correlated (p<0.0001) with length of time on the bottle. Use of pacifiers was not significantly related to BBTD prevalence. Most respondents reported putting milk, formula, juice, koolaide, water and cereal in the bottle on a daily basis. The association between BBTD and inappropriate infant feeding practices is supported by these data, which suggest that guardian/parent oral health education should begin as early as possible and include feeding practice guidelines along with other preventive measures. Supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.