Prevalence of caries and is relationship with the type of feeding in babies in the Cândida Vargas Maternity hospital

Objective: Verify the prevalence of dental caries and its relationship with the type of feeding, oral hygiene habits, and gender of children at the Cândida Vargas Maternity hospital in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Methods: The study population included 50 mentally and physically healthy children ranging from 12 the 48 months of age. This was descriptive study using direct documentation (forms) and the clinical examinations performed by one calibrated examiner (Kappa = 1). Dental caries diagnosis was according to World Health Organization criteria. Interviews were conducted with the parents for information about the children’s oral hygiene and dietary habits. Data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and statistical analyses, using the Pearson Chi – Square and Fisher tests. Results: the prevalence of dental caries was 28%; the majority of the parents cared for the children’s daytime oral hygiene (60%), and the prevalent type of feeding was with powdered milk. The average dmf-t was 0.28 and 16% of children had early childhood caries. There was no statistically significant association with any of the variables studied.Conclusion: the prevalence of caries–free children was high. However, the poor oral hygiene after nocturnal breast-feeding and the early introduction of artificial milk, especially with bottle feeding suggests the need to reinforce educational strategies for the parents