Feeding Practices of Potential Risk to Dental Caries in Early Childhood and its Relationship with Sociodemographic Variables and Prematurity

Objective: To verify the relationship of feeding practices of potential risk to dental caries in early childhood with sociodemographic variables, prematurity and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit admission (NICU). Material and Methods: Data from medical records of infants and preschool children, including feeding practices (breastfeeding, bottle feeding, feeding during sleep, introduction and frequency of sugar use), sociodemographic variables, prematurity and NICU admission were collected. Chi-square, Fisher and Maximum Likelihood Ratio tests were used. Results: The number of medical records was 222 in the age group of 01-45 months. Breastfeeding was not present in 66.7% of preterm infants (p=0.003) and 66.1% of infants admitted at NICU (p=0.011). The use of feeding bottle occurred in 58.4% of infants whose mothers work / study; 58.4% of preterm infants and 60.9% of children admitted at NICU (p<0.001). Feeding during sleep occurred in 70.5% of infants aged 1-24 months (p<0.001); 51.4% were single children (p=0.010) and 76.7% did not attend daycare centers (p=0.003). The introduction of sugar occurred in 60.6% in the age group of 01-24 months. The use of sugar more than Sx / day occurred in 52.6% of infants aged 25-45 months (p=0.003) and; 51.8% with mothers whose schooling corresponded to elementary school (p=0.039). Conclusion: Among caries-risk feeding practices, there was relationship between breastfeeding and prematurity and NICU admission; use of feeding bottle and mothers who worked and / or studied, prematurity and NICU admission; feeding during sleep and younger children, single child and those who did not attend daycare centers; and higher frequency of sugar use and older infants, and maternal schooling corresponding to elementary school.