Aleitamento materno e cárie precoce de infância

: revisão sistemática

Abstract

Introduction: The breastfeeding phase after the birth of a baby is extremely important for both mother and baby. However, some studies have correlated breastfeeding as a risk factor for the emergence of early childhood caries (ECC). In contrast there are other studies that state that breastfeeding does not present a risk and that it even plays a protective role against CPI. Objectives: To analyse, based on the scientific literature, through a systematic review, if prolonged breastfeeding has a protective role is a risk factor for CPI. Materials and methods: The systematic review protocol followed the PRISMA recommendations.
The research question was formulated based on the PICO model. The search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL, databases, Scielo and Scopus with the key words - "Child", "Dental caries", "Breast milk" and their synonyms in portuguese and english. The relevant data were extracted from the publications that met the inclusion criteria. Results: A total of 413 articles were obtained: 93 in PubMed, 151 in MEDLINE, 74 in CINAHL, 65 in Scopus and 28 in Scielo. After eliminating the duplicates and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria we included 13 articles. The age of the population ranges from 6 months to 71 months, all in deciduous dentition. In most studies diet, dental hygiene and prolonged breastfeeding were variables assessed and mothers mostly answered questionnaires on socioeconomic data and night-time breastfeeding. Conclusion: Although some studies associate breastfeeding with CPI, it is important to emphasize that caries is a multifactorial disease. Most studies suggest that the increased risk is associated with night-time breastfeeding, poor hygiene habits and interspersed with sugar-rich food.

Date of Award	25 Jul 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Mariana Pinheiro Torres de Seabra (Supervisor) & Andreia Sofia de Paiva Figueiredo (Co-Supervisor)