Prolonged pacifier-sucking and use of a nursing bottle at night: possible risk factors for dental caries in children

Abstract

At the baseline of this cohort study we determined risk factors for colonization of oral lactobacilli and candida in a group of children (n = 166) whose mean age was 2.5 years. The results showed that pacifiersucking and the use of a nursing bottle at night increase the occurrence of both salivary lactobacilli and candida. In the present study these children were followed for 2 years, and the progression of caries was recorded with particular reference to the etiologic factors measured before. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed prolonged pacifier-sucking (≥24 months) to be a significant risk factor for caries development in children, with a rather high relative risk (RR) of 3.5 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5–8.2; P = 0.003). Prolonged use of a nursing bottle at night (≥24 months) was also a risk factor, but less significant than pacifier-sucking (RR, 2.6; CI, 1.1–6.4; P = 0.03). On the grounds of this study we conclude that prolonged pacifier-sucking (≥2 years) and use of a nursing bottle at night are risk factors for dental caries in children.