DENTAL experts are urging parents to stop bottle-feeding their babies to sleep because of rising rates of severe tooth decay.
The call comes after a leading Australian children’s hospital noticed an increase in tooth decay in children as young as 12 months.
Associate Professor Richard Widmer from the Children’s Hospital in Sydney, said prolonged feeding with bottles of breastmilk and infant formula were linked to the problem, especially when children were allowed to settle with bottles at night.
Mr Widmer said a pattern of decay on the back of the upper front teeth indicated the cause was drink from a bottle that had been held between the child’s tongue and teeth for prolonged periods.
“We see more kids with decay, and we’re struggling to get them all done,” Prof Widmer said. “Some of the littlies are in pain. It is difficult some days.”
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Australian Dental Association Victorian branch president Dr Anne Stewart said parents could modify their baby’s eating and sleeping patterns without stopping bottle-feeding completely.
“The aim is to try to get into a routine where you aim eventually to not feed the baby to sleep,” Dr Stewart said.
“To help minimise those problems, don’t leave a bottle with anything, whether it’s breastmilk or formula, in the baby’s mouth when it falls asleep.
“The reason we don’t want that pool of milk left in the mouth is that the normal bacteria we have on our mouths uses the milk to produce acids, which is how tooth decay starts.”
Dr Stewart said tooth decay in young children could lead to health concerns later in life.
“The primary teeth are hugely important for social development,” Dr Stewart said.
Angus Cameron, the head of paediatric dentistry at Sydney University, said tooth decay was so bad in some infants that they had to have every primary tooth removed.
Katherine Firkin
Herald Sun