{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:27:36Z","timestamp":1760146056228,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,30]],"date-time":"2024-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727654400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose\/Objective: Frequent consumption of fermented carbohydrates and bottle feeding contribute to the development of early childhood caries (ECC). There are no substantial findings on the effects of breastfeeding patterns on oral health conditions in children in the United States. We aimed to assess the nexus between exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months and oral health disorders, namely toothache, decayed teeth, or unfilled cavities in early childhood. Materials and Methods: Design: Cross-sectional epidemiologic design of nationally representative data collected via telephone surveys in the United States was utilized. Setting: National Survey of Children\u2019s Health, 2012 Participants: Population-based random sample of parents\/guardians of 24,655 children aged 6 months to 5 years. Main Outcome and Measure: The primary outcome was the presence of oral health disorders (OHD) in children, defined as the parent-reported occurrence of one or more of the following conditions in the past 12 months: toothache, decayed teeth, or an unfilled cavity. This was assessed through a single composite question in the survey, asking parents\/guardians if their child had experienced any of these specific oral health issues within the previous year with a binary (yes\/no) response option. Results: Among 24,655 children aged 6 months to 5 years, 2392 (9.7%) had experienced an oral health disorder (OHD) in the previous 12 months. In unadjusted analysis, children exclusively breastfed for 6 months were 28% less likely to present with OHD compared to never-breastfed children (OR = 0.72, 95% CI, 0.52\u20130.98). However, after adjusting for key factors, including maternal health and race\/ethnicity, this association was no longer statistically significant (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.79\u20131.57). Significant predictors of OHD included maternal health (aOR for fair\/poor vs. excellent\/very good maternal health = 1.79, 95% CI 1.08\u20132.69) and race\/ethnicity, with a higher prevalence among non-Hispanic Black (12.9%) and multi-racial children (12.6%) compared to non-Hispanic White children (7.7%). Conclusions and Relevance: While exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life was not found to be a significant predictor of pediatric oral health outcomes after adjustment, maternal health and race\/ethnicity were significant determinants of oral health disorders. These findings underscore the importance of comprehensive healthcare approaches that consider maternal well-being and socio-demographic factors. Future research should explore interventions targeting these factors to improve pediatric oral health outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children11101201","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,30]],"date-time":"2024-09-30T04:00:04Z","timestamp":1727668804000},"page":"1201","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Implication of Exclusive Breastfeeding in Early Childhood Dental Disorders: Large Cohort Evidence, US National Survey of Children Health"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3210-6806","authenticated-orcid":false,"suffix":"Jr.","given":"Laurens","family":"Holmes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"},{"name":"Lawhols International Scientific Research Consulting, Bear, DE 19701, USA"},{"name":"Public Health & Allied Health Sciences Department, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 19901, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1878-3344","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Janille","family":"Williams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"},{"name":"School of Public Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brookyn, NY 11203, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Neyha","family":"Thompson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Valescia","family":"John","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kerti","family":"Depeika","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"},{"name":"Lawhols International Scientific Research Consulting, Bear, DE 19701, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2488-4790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benjamin","family":"Ogundele","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3797-2327","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Enwere","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Equity Foundation, Bear, DE 19701, USA"},{"name":"Lawhols International Scientific Research Consulting, Bear, DE 19701, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1900","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2010.200915","article-title":"Impact of poor oral health on children\u2019s school attendance and performance","volume":"101","author":"Jackson","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1440-1754.2006.00777.x","article-title":"Early childhood caries: Current evidence for aetiology and prevention","volume":"42","author":"Gussy","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Paediatr. Child Health"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-7599.2008.00367.x","article-title":"Assessment, management, and prevention of early childhood caries","volume":"21","author":"Kagihara","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Am. Assoc. Nurse Pract."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Ezer, M.S., Swoboda, N., and Farkouh, D.J.O.H. (2010). Early childhood caries: The dental disease of infants. J. 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Health Policy Institute Research Brief, American Dental Association."}],"container-title":["Children"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/11\/10\/1201\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T16:07:25Z","timestamp":1760112445000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/11\/10\/1201"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,30]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10]]}},"alternative-id":["children11101201"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/children11101201","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9067"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2227-9067"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,30]]}}}