Re: Pre-mastication, saliva, and caries The wonderful PBS series on the Five Senses had a brief but fascinating segment on "kiss feeding." Mothers in several areas of the world (Africa and Asia as I recall) were shown pre-masticating food and pushing it into their infant's mouths with their tongues. This brings the lips in close proximity, and the commentary remarked that the ubiquitousness of kissing as a cross-cultural phenomena may stem from this practice of infant feeding. It makes perfect sense to me even from a hygiene standpoint. Premasticated food, being handled less, has less chance to pick up pathogens. Baby is already exposed to mom's germs. An an aside on saliva. I asked my pedi once why adults don't normally get thrush. He told me its because adults have antibody in their saliva. I was, at the time battling a long-running thrush episode in baby #2. Now I hope this doesn't gross anyone out, but I went home and put some of my saliva into baby's mouth. I also kept treating with meds etc. but thrush cleared up promptly. I too have read of studies which looked at colonization of the mouth at birth with parental organizims. I can share that the first non-gloved person to touch my 1st born was her dad. He cut cord, and embraced and kissed Emily and then put her on my chest. He has never had a cavity. His mother (who birthed him at home in Appalachia in 1943) has never had a cavity. Emily has never had a cavity. My second kids, home birthed and handed immed. to me to be smothered with kisses have had numerous cavities -- just like me! I think we should contract out my husband to kiss newborns. I also think it is reasonable to consider neonatal oral colonization as at least a possibility. It's absurd to say this means we shouldn't breastfeed. Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSE, IBCLC priv. pract. in Austin, Tx