Thank you! :)   I will obtain the entire statement at my meeting in two
weeks.  Just for curiousity sake is it available on the www?

I'll check their homepage!

Thanks so much,
Heidi Murphy

At 10:29 PM 3/3/97 -0800, Chris Hafner-Eaton wrote:
> Heidi:  Please tell your friend that LLLI and the Center for Breastfeeding
>Information have a dental caries statement.  I am going to bite the bullet
>and re-type the whole, in-tact statement, but not the separate more current
>biblio (please DO obtain it from LLLI)--If you use this statement, please
>attribute it to LLLI and make no alterations to the statement.
>
>"BREASTFEEDING AND DENTAL CARIES"  LA LECHE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL April 1995
>
>La Leche League International (LLLI) respects the concerns of mothers and
>dentists about a possible connection between extended breastfeeding,
>particularly nighttime nursing, and dental caries in the primary teeth.
>There have been no valid scientific studies to support that claim.  Even
>so, breastfeeding continues to be implicated along with artificial feeding
>as a cause of dental caries.
>
>LLLI  is aware that some breastfed toddlers have developed dental caries.
>We have only to consider the overwhelming majority of breastfed toddlers
>with healthy teeth to know that there must be other factors involved.
>Unfortunately, researchers have not asked pertinent background questions,
>including the following:
>
>*Is there a family/genetic history of tooth decay or poor enamel formation?
>*Did the mother have any illness with high fever and/or requiring
>antibiotics during pregnancy?
>*What was the mother's diet during pregnancy and lactation?  Did it include
>caffeine, a potential cariogenic agent, and sufficient calcium?
>*Was the child born prematurely?
>*When were solids added to the chil'd diet?  What does the child eat and
>drink on a regular basis?
>*Has the child received sweetened medicines, including vitamins, antibiotic
>and cough syrups, on a frequent basis?
>*Has a link between the bacteria in the parents' mouths and dental decay in
>the child been investigated?
>*What type of dental hygiene is practiced with the toddler?
>*Does the toddler sleep for long periods at night with the breast in his
mouth?
>
>It is LLLI's contention that a small percentage of at-risk breastfed
>children develop dental caries in spite of breastfeeding, not because of
>it.  Human milk is very different in composition from infant formula and
>cow's milk.  Nursing from the bresat is very different mechanically from
>sucking on a bottle and artificial teat.  These distinctions need to be
>rcognized and respected if a true picture of the incidence and severity of
>dental caries in bresatfed children is to be determined.
>
>Ther lifesaving and enhancing health and emotional advantages of human milk
>and breastfeeding over infant formula and bottle feeding are well
>documented worldwide.  These benefits must be weighed against any
>self-limiting risk of dental caries in the primary teeth in early
>childhood.
>
>LLLI, 1400 N. Meacham Rd, Schaumurg, Illinois, 60173 USA
>
>WarmLLLy,
>Chris
>
>: )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )
>
>: )Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC  email: [log in to unmask]  : )
>: )HSR & Health Educational Consultant        voice/fax: 541 753 7340   : )
>: )             **CHANGE THE WORLD, NURTURE A CHILD!**
>: )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )   :  )   : )  : )
>
>
>
>
Heidi
Mommy to Peyton Quinn (12-20-94)
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2765