title: Association between breastfeeding and dental caries in Japanese children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies investigating the impact of breastfeeding on dental caries have produced contradictory results. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between breastfeeding and the prevalence of dental caries in young Japanese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study subjects were 2056 Japanese children aged 3 years. Information on breastfeeding was obtained by means of a questionnaire. Children were classified as having caries if 1 or more deciduous teeth were decayed, missing, or had been filled at the time of examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of dental caries was 20.7%. As compared with breastfeeding for less than 6 months, breastfeeding for 18 months or longer was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of dental caries. The relation was J-shaped: the adjusted prevalence ratios for less than 6 months, 6 to 11 months, 12 to 17 months, and 18 months or longer were 1.0, 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60-1.05), 0.86 (95% CI: 0.66-1.13), and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.33-2.06), respectively (P for linear trend <0.0001, P for quadratic trend <0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breastfeeding for 18 months or longer was positively associated with the prevalence of dental caries, while breastfeeding for 6 to 17 months was nonsignificantly inversely associated with the prevalence of dental caries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan. k-tanaka@fukuoka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyake
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors