Thesis
A longitudinal assessment of the effects of breastfeeding on the development of arch morphology and malocclusion
University of Iowa
Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
Spring 2021
DOI: 10.17077/etd.006059
Abstract
Introduction
Whether breastfeeding provides protective effects against malocclusion is an area of debate. While many studies have looked at how breastfeeding impacts the prevalence of malocclusion in the primary dentition, little information is present assessing breastfeeding’s impact in the mixed or permanent dentitions. Even less information is available regarding how different occlusal characteristics change as individuals transition from the primary to the mixed dentition. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how breastfeeding affects the development of various types of malocclusions and more importantly whether or not these malocclusions persists in subjects between the primary and mixed dentitions.
Materials and Methods
In this longitudinal study, 305 subjects were included that were part of the larger Iowa Fluoride Study. Subjects were included who had nutritive and non-nutritive (i.e. digit sucking or pacifier use) data present at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months who also had dental models made at ages 4-5yrs and 8-9yrs. Based on the breastfeeding patterns over these four time points, infants were categorized as being in one of five breastfeeding categories: “none”, “minimal”, “short”, “medium”, and “long.” Each subject’s dental models were then used to assess how breastfeeding affected occlusal characteristics at ages 4-5yrs, 8-9yrs, and whether or not the traits present at 4-5yrs stayed the same or changed at age 8-9yrs.
Results
The data were first evaluated by assessing differences in malocclusion between the five breastfeeding duration categories mentioned above. Then data were also assessed evaluating only the “none” and “long” breastfeeding groups to evaluate whether differences would be appreciated at the extremes of treatment. There were no statistically significant relationships found between breastfeeding and any variable of malocclusion at either age group. Lastly, there was no statistically significant relationship between whether a subject maintained or lost an occlusal characteristic from age 4-5yr to 8-9yrs based upon duration of breastfeeding.
Conclusion
Among our sample breastfeeding did not confer any protective effects against malocclusion in the primary or mixed dentitions. It was also demonstrated that breastfeeding duration did not impact whether or not a subject would retain or lose specific malocclusions moving from the primary to the mixed dentition.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- A longitudinal assessment of the effects of breastfeeding on the development of arch morphology and malocclusion
- Creators
- Andrew Welling
- Contributors
- Steven D Marshall (Advisor)Thomas E Southard (Advisor)John J Warren (Committee Member)Robert G Franciscus (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (MS), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Orthodontics
- Date degree season
- Spring 2021
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.006059
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- xiv, 69 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2021 Andrew Welling
- Language
- English
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 22-25).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Breastfeeding has been shown to help prevent chronic disease, improve cognitive function, and reduce obesity rates among children. Some have even suggested that breastfeeding can alter how the face develops and provide protective affects against the development of malocclusions such as crossbite, open bite, or excessive overjet.
While many studies have been conducted to look at how breastfeeding affects malocclusions, most of the studies have looked at breastfeeding's effect on the primary dentition (when a patient has only baby teeth) opposed to mixed dentition (when there is both baby and permanent teeth present). Looking at how breastfeeding affects malocclusion over time is important to understand if its effects are only temporary of persist later into adolescence and adulthood. The purpose of our study was to evaluate how breastfeeding affected malocclusion in both the primary and mixed dentitions and if changes in the primary dentition persist into the mixed dentition.
Our study found that breastfeeding did not confer any protective effects against malocclusion in the primary or mixed dentitions. It was also demonstrated that breastfeeding duration did not impact whether or not a subject would retain or lose specific malocclusions moving from the primary to the mixed dentition.
- Academic Unit
- Orthodontics
- Record Identifier
- 9984097077702771
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