By IANS
New York : It is often said that prolonged breastfeeding causes tooth decay. But a new study finds there is no link between the two — poverty and maternal smoking during pregnancy were some factors that contribute to childhood tooth decay.
Researchers led by Hiroko Lida of New York’s Rochester University gathered information on infant feeding and other child and family characteristics among 1,576 children aged two to five years from a 1999-2002 survey.
After making adjustments for factors which could influence the likelihood of early childhood tooth decay, scientists found there was no link between breastfeeding, regardless of how long it went on for, and tooth decay during early childhood, reported health portal Medical News Today.
The researchers found the following factors that raised the risk of dental decay — being poor, being Mexican-American, not having been to the dentist during the last 12 months and maternal smoking during pregnancy.
They also found that being poor and Mexican-American were independently linked with severe early childhood tooth decay.