A study of 800 children has shown that the inclusion of sugar in their diet and early interruption of breastfeeding are the significant factors contributing to the appearance of dental caries by two years old.

The study published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology tracked children born between 2015-2016 in Cruzeiro do Su, Brazil.

Marly Augusto Cardoso, principal investigator and professor at the University of São Paulo’s School of Public Health, said to EurekaAlert!, “Some previous studies pointed to an association between extended breastfeeding [for 12 months or more] and the occurrence of dental caries, but without properly accounting for the role of early added sugar consumption by these children. Our research found the increased risk of caries in the context of extended breastfeeding to correlate with sugar consumption.”

Jenny Abanto, the first author of the article and professor at São Leopoldo Mandic Dental School in São Paulo, said, “The results corroborate prior research findings on the role of free sugar in the development of dental caries. Breast milk lactose alone doesn’t cause the problem. Practically all the children surveyed by our study were exposed to free sugar at an early age.”

Twenty-two per cent of the children developed dental carries. Explaining the statistic, media outlet EurekaAlert! said, “In isolation, this proportion means children breastfed for more than 24 months ran a higher risk than those breastfed for 12 months or less. However, the incidence of dental caries declined in line with falling sugar consumption in the former.”

Marly said, “We observed that breastfeeding for 24 months reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods or foods with added sugar, acting as a factor of protection against dental caries.”

Mothers or carers provided the dietary information, and the research team used this information to calculate sugar consumption. According to the data, 2.8 per cent of the children had never consumed sugar before their second birthday, and 66.7 per cent ingested added sugar more than five times a day. Just 7.6 per cent ate no added sugar in their first year of life.

Jenny said, “Even if the teeth affected are deciduous or milk teeth, dietary habits such as consuming large amounts of sugar in infancy tend to become permanent and pose the risk of dental caries developing later in life. Other studies have also shown that having dental caries in infancy usually means having them in adolescence, too.”

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