Breast feeding, bottle feeding and caries experience in children aged 6 months to 5 years in Lagos state, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the relationship between breast feeding, bottle feeding pattern and caries experience in young children. Methods: Children aged 6 months – 5 years from 3 randomly selected local governments in Lagos State were examined intraorally. Structured questionnaire were administered to the mothers to inquire about the feeding pattern of their children. Results: The prevalence of dental caries amongst the children was 10.5%. The group most affected with caries was among the predominantly exclusively breast fed (14.6%) compared to 9.4% of those who were exclusively breast fed. No cause and effect relationship was established between the duration of breast-feeding and dental caries, however the longer the duration of breast-feeding the higher the caries prevalence among them. The prevalence of caries also increased with the longer duration of bottle feeding till 18 months after which it declined. Mode of putting child to sleep rather than the bottle content was statistically associated with caries prevalence. (p < 0.05) Conclusion: The multifactorial nature involved in cariogenesis is further demonstrated. The mode of putting the child to sleep is a strong factor in the caries process in young children.