Early Childhood Caries was previously
referred to as Nursing Bottle Caries, Baby
Bottle Tooth Decay, Nursing Bottle
Syndrome, and Nursing Caries. While
these terms suggest a cause and effect, data
show comparable rates of bedtime baby
bottle use in both children without caries
and children with caries. The more
important risk factor seems to be use of
the baby bottle during bed time.
Theoretically, diminished swallowing
during sleep may allow sugary liquid to
remain in the mouth and pool around the
teeth leading to dental caries (13).