My name is Hanna Graeffe, and I don't think I've written here before.
I'm a lay bf support person from Finland.
There is something I've been meaning to ask in regard to dental
caries. Here in Finland, dentists always warn parents about the most
common caries-causing bacteria, Streptococcus Mutans. By avoiding to
share spoons, cups, wet kisses on the mouth
the parents can at least try to prevent the babies from getting the
bacteria, and cavities. This is something every parenting magazine
article about teeth tells us. But what I've read in the foreign
parenting web sites in the internet, this is something that is not
talked about in the other countries. Are we here in Finland alone in
trying to avoid the saliva contact? Do you find it "extreme"?
Here are some things I took from a Finnish web site (and poorly
translated them myself):
Snacks containing a lot of sugar are good food for strept.mut.,
whereas milk or milk sugar (lactose) are not such good food for the
bacteria. Human milk is very sweet, but there is some evidence showing
it can't be used by strept.mut., and the same goes for cow's milk, too
1).
In a research with 18 children (aged 12-24 months) getting breastmilk
and how it affected the ph of the plaque (???) in the teeth, there was
no significant difference between getting breastmilk (5 minutes) or
getting water 2). However, I don't know if there are more evidence
about this, or if this was just a single study.
In a Finnish research the focus was on breastfeeding duration and
caries. There was no connection between them. Breastfeeding didn't
seem to cause cavities, but it didn't seem to protect from cavities,
either.3)
There might be one connection with breastfeeding and cavities; namely,
when weaning, some people replace breastmilk with juices etc.
containing lots of sugar.
Hanna Graeffe (lay breastfeeding support person, mother to Henri
21.12.93 and Anni 6.3.99)
[log in to unmask]
www.lumenvalo.fi
1) Early childhood caries: overview and recent findings / Tinanoff N;
O'Sullivan DM / Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dental
Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, USA
2) Investigation of the role of human breast milk in caries
development / Authors: Erickson PR, Mazhari E / Pediatr Dent 1999 Mar;
21(2):86-90
3) Scand J Dent Res 1990 Jun;98(3):193-6 / Prevalence of caries and
salivary levels of mutans streptococci in 5-year-old children in
relation to duration of breast feeding. / Alaluusua S, Myllarniemi S,
Kallio M, Salmenpera L, Tainio VM / Department of Pedodontics and
Orthodontics, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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