Effects of Breastfeeding on Dental Arch Relationships in Primary Dentition

Abstract

Objective: Breastfeeding is an ideal feeding mode which protects the infants from common childhood diseases. However, only few studies investigated the effect of breastfeeding on the dental arch development. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effects of maternal breastfeeding on the inter- and intra-dental arch relationships in primary dentition.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 456 children (among them 52.0% Boys) aged 2~6 (3.45±1.09) years old in Hong Kong who shared similar social-economical backgrounds.

Questionnaires were completed by the parents to collect information on duration of breastfeeding and history of oral parafunctional habits. The children’s dental arch relationships were examined in the sagittal, vertical and transverse dimensions. The associations between the time of breastfeeding and the dental arch relationships were tested using Chi-Square, Fisher’s Exact Test, analysis of variance with Bonferroni adjustment of pairwise comparisons and logistic regression. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.

Results:

1. Sagittal dimension

It was found that pure breastfeeding for > 6 months had a significant lower chance of developing class II incisal relationship (p=0.003<0.05; Odds Ratio (OR) 0.229 [(Confidence Interval)CI 0.87-0.606]) and increased overjet (p=0.005<0.05; OR 0.312 [CI 0.139-0.700]) than those who had never been breastfed.

The duration of breastfeeding had no effect on primary molar relationship.

2. Vertical dimension

No effect was found between the duration of breastfeeding on the vertical dimension of the primary dentition.

3. Transverse dimension

It was found that children who were pure breastfed for > 6 months had a higher chance of developing wider intercanine width (p=0.035<0.05) and wider intermolar width (p=0.026<0.05) than those who were pure breastfed for < 6 months adjusted by background information and related parafunctional habits.

Conclusion:

Breastfeeding has positive effects on the dental arches development of the primary dentition in anterior sagittal and transverse dimensions.