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NEW YORK, Mar 07 (Reuters Health) - Shy children who are breast-fed or bottle-fed the longest may be more prone to cavities, preliminary study findings suggest.
The combination of shyness and duration of feeding correlated with the number of teeth with cavities among children aged 18 to 70 months, according to a report published in a the February issue of Pediatric Dentistry.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Rocio Quinonez from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, explained that in general, shy children may have trouble getting used to new situations, including weaning from breast or bottle to solid foods. Previous studies have shown that late weaning is a risk factor for cavities.
"But just because you are shy doesn't mean you are going to get cavities," he said. Rather, shyness may indirectly increase risk.
"Some of their intense reactions may challenge a caregiver to provide oral health preventive behaviors and help set the stage, along with other environmental and biological risk factors, for the development of early childhood caries," Quinonez pointed out.
He suggested that caregivers of shy or temperamental children should persevere in their attempts to teach the child the importance of dental care.
"The early appearance of temperament in the life span underscores its potential role in disease and the development of prevention, treatment, and policy strategies in pediatric dental care," the study authors conclude.
More than three quarters of the group of 58 children had cavities, with an average of nearly four teeth affected, the study findings show.
SOURCE: Pediatric Dentistry 2001;23:5-10.
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