Breastfeeding has, for a long period of time, been recommended for children where possible for a variety of reasons:

·        Protecting babies from a variety of systemic and common conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

·        Benefits for the mother-including reducing the risk of developing ovarian and breast cancers, as well as heart disease

·        Cost benefits- not only from prevention of diseases as mentioned above and the associated financial burden of treating such illnesses, but also saving on resources that would supplement breast milk.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/about/benefits-of-breastfeeding/

On  30th January 2019, Public Health England has produced a statement on breastfeeding and tooth decay, alongside an infographic.

·        dental teams should continue to support and encourage mothers to breastfeed

·        not being breastfed is associated with an increased risk of infectious morbidity (for example gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, middle-ear infections)

·        breastfeeding up to 12 months of age is associated with a decreased risk of tooth decay

·        exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first 6 months of life − complementary foods should be introduced from around 6 months of age alongside continued breastfeeding

·        further advice for dental teams can be found in Health Matters: Child Dental Health and Delivering Better Oral Health (2014)

The infographic states that although these benefits exist, breastfeeding is at an all time low, with 34% mothers still breastfeeding after 6 months, and only 1% of those breastfeeding exclusively at that time. Little evidence exists for those who continue to breastfeed over the age of 12 months.  It acknowledges the fact that dental professionals have a pivotal role in encouraging breastfeeding for general and oral health, and perhaps, surprisingly, the link between non-breastfeeding and gastroenteritis, respiratory and middle ear infections. This information is already supported by the evidence available in the Delivering Better Oral Health Toolkit which states that

·        Breastfeeding is the best nutrition for babies (Systematic Review)

·        bottle-fed babies should be introduced to drinking from a free-flow cup from the age of 6 months and bottle feeding should be discouraged from 12 months old

·        only breast or formula milk or cooled, boiled water should be given in bottles

·        only milk or water should be drunk between meals and adding sugar to foods or drinks should be avoided

To conclude, there is plenty of information to support the benefits of breastfeeding babies for long term general and oral health. However, it is important to encourage non- breast-feeders on oral health advice to prevent decay in children as well as those who do breastfeed, as both are at risk of developing oral health problems when they chose to move on from predominantly milk based diets, and onto solid foods. What is most important, is reinforcing prevention amongst all babies and young children to ensure that their oral health is the top priority.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/breastfeeding-and-dental-health/breastfeeding-and-dental-health

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/605266/Delivering_better_oral_health.pdf