Relationship between breastfeeding and malocclusion in chilean and immigrant children.

Abstract

Introduction: The relationship between breastfeeding and the development of dentomaxillary anomalies (DMA) has been highly studied in the literature. The etiology of malocclusions is multifactorial, it has been seen that the duration of breastfeeding, habits and genetics influence it. We will study if there is a difference between chileans and immigrants, and its relationship with the development of ADM in 6-year-old children. Objective: Establish a relationship between duration of breastfeeding and malocclusion in 6-year-old children in the Metropolitan Region. Materials and methods: The study contemplates a sample of 690 6-year-old chilean and immigrant children from the Metropolitan Region. The database was collected by 5 calibrated dentists who performed a clinical examination and completed a questionnaire with responses from the parents. The data was then organized and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of malocclusions was 59.1%. No relationship was found between breastfeeding time and the development of DMA. There is a significant difference between breastfeeding times and the nationality of the mothers. The malocclusion with the highest prevalence was crowding or rotations with 21.8%, followed by increased overjet with 16.4% and increased overbite with 16.1%. Conclusions: No relationship was found between breastfeeding time and development of malocclusions in 6-year-old children. There is a difference in breastfeeding times depending on the nationality of the mothers.