Breastfeeding after 2 - connected with tooth decay in baby

Breastfeeding has many benefits, but one downside of extended and intensive breastfeeding may be a higher risk of cavities in baby's first teeth, according to a new study.

The more frequently a mother breastfed her child beyond the age of 24 months during the day, the greater the child's risk of severe early tooth decay, researchers found.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that babies are fed breast milk exclusively for the first six months of their lives, with solid foods added to the diet at that point. However, the WHO also recommends continued breastfeeding up to age two and beyond, the authors note.

"The No. 1 priority for the breastfeeding mother is to make sure that her child is getting optimal nutrition," lead author Benjamin Chaffee of the University of California, San Francisco told Reuters Health.

He and his team looked at a possible link between longer-term breastfeeding and the risk of tooth decay and cavities in a survey of 458 babies in low-income families in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Because the study lasted more than one year, most babies were eating various kinds of solid food and liquids in addition to breast milk.

The researchers found that about 40 percent of children breastfed between ages 6 and 24 months had some tooth decay by the end of the study. For babies breastfed for longer than two years and frequently, that number rose to 48 percent.

"There are two aspects of breastfeeding - the actual human milk, which has some, but very little, ability to promote tooth decay," said William Bowen, professor emeritus in the Center for Oral Biology at the University of Rochester in New York.

"The second is the physical aspect of breastfeeding, or even bottle-feeding, and that's where the problem arrives," he said.

When a baby sucks on a mother's breast or from a bottle, the baby's teeth are sealed off from saliva in the mouth. This physical barrier prevents the saliva from breaking down bacteria, and increases the chances of tooth decay, Bowen said.

The good news, Bowen said, is that it's very easy to clean an infant's teeth.

A simple wipe in the mouth with a water-dampened cloth or Q-tip can effectively remove food before the baby's first teeth, he said, adding: "It's important to get the excess food out of the mouth."

One not-so-good habit is allowing infants to stay on a mother's nipple throughout the night, Bowen said. This usually means very little saliva circulates in the baby's mouth, which can increase the risk of decay.