Early childhood caries (ECC), defined as the presence of caries on at least one primary tooth in children<6 years of age(Reference Davies1), is the most common chronic infectious disease of children worldwide(Reference Hale2). ECC has been reported to be exacerbated by dietary factors such as sucrose intake in the form of sucrose-containing baby bottle contents and in solid food(Reference Milnes3). Another recognized dietary factor is prolonged bottle-feeding or breast-feeding(Reference Mouatt4).
The diets of 191 low-income Mexican-American children aged <4 years enrolled in a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programme in San Antonio, TX, USA were assessed for appropriateness according to guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics(5, 6). Data were collected via maternal report from a cluster random sample of the target population. The following factors were used to judge dietary appropriateness:
By the described dietary-assessment method 51% of children's maternally-reported diets were considered inappropriate, while 35% were deemed marginally appropriate and only 14% were considered appropriate. This difference was found to be significant, whether compared in categories of appropriate, marginally appropriate and inappropriate (P<0.01) or when diets judged to be appropriate or marginally appropriate were compared with diets judged to be inappropriate (P=0.02). A greater proportion of the diets of the children without ECC was judged to be appropriate as compared with the children with ECC. Comparisons were made by chi-square test (SAS statistical software release 8.2; SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).
Public health measures to encourage adherence to established paediatric dietary guidelines should be supported.
