3Dietary Control
It is important that, early in an infant’s life, dietary habits established that promote not only physical growth and development conducive to optimal oral health. Although not eating between meals is recognized as one way to decrease caries development, because of a child’s small size and developmental level, snacks between meals are recommended. Of more importance are the frequency, duration, retentiveness, and cleaning properties of the foods consumed. Frequency refer to how often foods are in the mouth. Nursing on demand is recommended through 6 months of age, but once the teeth begin erupting the infant is able to have regularly spaced feedings with appropriate care of the teeth. Likewise,
babies should not use a bottle as a pacifier because of the frequency with which the teeth will be milk coated. Babies should lying down, because of the increased risk of the nursing syndrome and the increased frequency of otitis media. Although the sugar content of a food is a factor. If it is eaten with other foods, it will not be as detrimental. Retentiveness, or “stickiness,” of foods such as dry sugared cereal, caramel, or raisins keeps the sugars in contact with the enamel for longer periods. Suggest that cereal be eaten with milk to rinse the sugars and that sticky foods be eaten at mealtime with other foods. Raw fruits and vegetables, though having natural sugars in them, also provide a mechanical cleansing action to the tooth surface as well as stimulating salivation, which reduces the acidity in plaque. Of utmost importance is brushing the teeth within 20 minutes of eating to cleanse sugars and bacteria from the tooth surfaces