CLINICAL QUESTION

Does providing dietary and feeding-practice advice to primary caregivers reduce the risk of early childhood caries in children?

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER

Providing dietary and feeding-practice advice to mothers or other primary caregivers reduces the risk of early childhood caries in primary teeth by approximately 15% compared with standard care.¹ (Strength of Recommendation: B, inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence.)

PRACTICE POINTERS

Early childhood caries is the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood, affecting an estimated 43% of children worldwide, or more than 500 million individuals.² Early childhood caries is defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth in a child younger than 6 years.³ The number of early childhood caries cases has risen significantly since the 1990s, particularly in low-resource countries.² Untreated early childhood caries can lead to pain, infection, extractions, poor growth, nutritional deficiencies, and behavioral and sleep problems.¹ Caries in primary teeth are also a key risk factor for future dental disease, making early prevention essential for long-term oral and overall health.²