Breastfeeding, co-sleeping and dental health advice.
OBJECTIVE
To identify dental health advice offered by healthcare providers (HCPs) to mothers that cosleep and breastfeed at night.


METHODS
Mothers were recruited via local contacts, e-mail, and support groups. In-person, digitally recorded interviews were conducted with 14 cosleeping, breastfeeding mothers with children from 6 months to 2 years. Interviews included seven open-ended questions about cosleeping patterns, night breastfeeding patterns, and dental health advice offered by HCPs. These HCPs included pediatricians, family medicine physicians, midwives, and obstetricians. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitative descriptive analysis was done.


RESULTS
The majority of women reported keeping their child in bed with them for most, if not all, of the night. All of the mothers reported breastfeeding on demand. Approximately half of the mothers did not disclose their sleeping patterns to their HCP. Mothers reported few HCPs initiated a discussion on cosleeping or oral hygiene for their child.


CONCLUSIONS
Mothers did not readily share their cosleeping, nor did most HCPs initiate a conversation about cosleeping and dental hygiene. This qualitative study identifies the need for education on anticipatory guidance of oral hygiene discussions from HCPs. As HCPs, it is our responsibility to initiate the conversation with the mother because this study demonstrates that mothers will be unlikely to do so.
Katie M. Lapps Wert is an Associate Pediatric Dentist, North Penn Pediatric Dental Associates, and was Chief Dental Resident (2012-2013) at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Rochelle Lindemeyer is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, and Director, Pediatric Dental Residency Program, The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Diane L. Spatz is a Professor of Perinatal Nursing & Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing & Nurse Researcher & Manager of the Lactation Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. She can be reached via e-mail at spatz@nursing.upenn.edu.
Katie M Lapps
KM
Wert
Rochelle
R
Lindemeyer
Diane L
DL
Spatz
D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002326:Cariogenic Agents; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D000068101:Maternal-Child Health Services; D008895:Milk, Human; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D012890:Sleep; D055815:Young Adult
D002326:Cariogenic Agents