MODES OF INFANT FEEDING AND EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES

Early childhood caries is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease, representing a public health problem that affects infants and preschool children worldwide. infant feeding habits involving breastfeeding, bottlefeeding and formulas are believed to have a role in the development of early childhood caries. this article presents an overview of effects of infant feeding habits on early childhood caries in the light of current literature. breastfeeding has been found to have many health benefits for both child and mother. on the other hand, several studies have shown that breastfeeding or even exclusive breastfeeding can cause caries similar to bottlefeeding. bottle-feeding with sucrose-containing infant formulas, fruit soups or syrups were reported to be risk indicators for caries in young children. in the studies that investigate the relationship between early childhood caries and different feeding modes for infants, it is observed that the findings exhibit variability depending on the feeding method and duration.