Avoiding Cavities on Baby Teeth

I was looking for information on teething and I came across this article from La Leche League International on caring for baby teeth and preventing cavities. It also talks about the benefits of breastfeeding in preventing cavities and discusses the misguided advice to refrain from breastfeeding at night. I thought it was worth passing along. :)

Here are a few quotes from the article:

"Dr. Brian Palmer, DDS, is one of the most outspoken and well-known defenders of breastfeeding as it relates to dental caries. He believes that early childhood caries are a relatively new phenomenon. Palmer has examined the skulls of prehistoric to early historic infants and children in various museums. Less than 1.4 percent of teeth that were examined had decay. It seems improbable that human milk would cause decay[...]Palmer suggests, it would be "evolutionary suicide for human milk to cause decay."

"More information comes from two different studies in which researchers compared the effects of modern-day artificial baby milk (formula) and human milk on some factors believed to contribute to dental caries. Their studies showed vital differences between human milk and most formulas. First, they found that human milk does not significantly lower the pH in the mouth, while almost all brands of artificial baby milk did. The bacteria that is thought to significantly contribute to decay, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) thrives in a low pH. Second, most formulas supported significant bacterial growth, while human milk supported only moderate bacterial growth. Third, formulas were found to dissolve tooth enamel (the outer layer of teeth), while human milk actually deposited calcium and phosphorus into enamel (a process known as remineralization). Researchers also concluded that human milk is not cariogenic (does not cause cavities) unless another source of carbohydrates is available for bacteria to feed on. Most artificial baby milk formulas tested were cariogenic (Erickson 1999)."

Kellymom.com has an article on "Is Breastfeeding Linked to Tooth Decay?" and at the bottom of the article there is a long list of references and other articles to read. You can find it HERE.