Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the association between cosleeping and the number of breastfeeding sessions in infants, OHRQoL of the child and the family, and the DMFT Child’s index. The sample comprised 273 children (2–4 years old). In addition to the clinical examination of the child to assess the DMFT Index, the mother was requested to complete a questionnaire to collect data about the breastfeeding practice, diet, dental hygiene, dental check-ups, quality of the child’s oral life, and family impact (ECOHIS Scale). The children’s OHRQoL is positively correlated with number of night-time breastfeeding sessions at 12 months (r2 = 0.40 **), DMFT index (r2 = 0.60 **), impact family (r2 = 0.65 **), and duration of cosleeping (r2 = 0.36 **). The moderating effect explained 41% of OHRQoL; the interaction between the number of breastfeeding sessions at 18 months and the DMFT index significantly increased the coefficient of determination. A longer practice time for cosleeping was associated with an increase in breastfeeding sessions, a higher impact on OHRQoL, a higher family impact, and a higher DMFT index. More than three night-time breastfeeding sessions moderate the relationship between the DMFT index and the child’s OHRQoL.
Highlights
Accepted: 25 October 2021Early childhood caries is the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled primary teeth in children aged 71 months (5 years) or younger
The infants generally lived with both parents (79.90%), and the rest exclusively lived with the mother (12.90%), the father (6.20%), or the grandparents (1.00%)
It is well known that cosleeping is a means to facilitate the longer duration and performance of breastfeeding [20]. This evidence is consistent with our findings, which clarify that infants who are cosleeping with their mothers have more night-time feedings but have poorer oral hygiene
Summary
Accepted: 25 October 2021Early childhood caries is the presence of one or more decayed (non-cavitated or cavitated lesions), missing (due to caries), or filled primary teeth in children aged 71 months (5 years) or younger. Childhood caries is a chronic disease with a high prevalence that affects the oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and children’s parents [1]. When breastfeeding is maintained beyond 12 months, especially at night, it is associated with an increased risk of dental caries development and even promotes the development of early childhood caries [7,8]. This is explained by the decreased salivary flow of the baby at night [8]
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