Nadja said:

> Date:    Thu, 8 Jul 2010 02:41:39 GMT
> From:    Nadja Catano <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: nursing and dental caries
>
> in norma jane bumgarner's LLLI book, "mothering your nursing  
> toddler," (i am sorry, it is not in front of me right now, and i am  
> nursing my toddler, who has fallen asleep on top of me), she cites  
> a study where they soaked baby teeth in separate solutions of cow  
> milk, human milk, and sugar water of some kind--maybe juice, and  
> human milk plus sugar water.
>
> the cow milk teeth rotted, though not as quickly as the juice/sugar  
> water teeth.  the human milk teeth recalcified!  but, the sugar/ 
> human milk teeth rotted fastest.
>
> the lesson may be that anything on our child's teeth combined with  
> our milk is a possible problem; our milk alone is not!  hope this  
> helps.
>
> ~nadja catano, mother 0f 8, LLLL, MA, IBCLC


Dr. Pamela Erickson at the University of Minnesota studied the decay  
potential of various liquids in experiments reported in 1998 and  
1999.   Water had a decay potential of 0.00.  A 10% sucrose solution  
had a decay potential of 1.00.  Human milk had a decay potential of  
0.01, close to that of plain water.  Various formulas differed in  
their ability to lower the pH (making the environment more acidic and  
promoting decay), to support bacterial growth, and to dissolve tooth  
enamel.  Human milk did not lower the pH in plaque and did not  
support bacterial growth.  Calcium and phosphorus in human milk were  
actually deposited on the tooth enamel.  However, when 10% sucrose  
was added to human milk, the decay potential rose to 1.30, higher  
than sucrose alone, apple juice at 0.80, grape juice at 0.74, and  
close to that of soda pop at 1.05.  Once the first teeth erupt and  
additional foods and fluids have been added to the diet at around six  
months of age, breastfed babies, like other babies, are susceptible  
to caries development.

Erickson PR, McClintock KL, Green N, et al. J. Estimation of the  
caries-related risk associated with infant formulas. Pediatric   
Dentistry 1998;20:395-403.

Erickson PR, Mazhari E. Investigation of the role of human breastmilk  
in caries development. Pediatric Dentistry 1999 Mar-Apr;21(2):86-90.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC, LLLL
Madison, WI, USA

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