DT News - UK - Updated guidance on infant feeding welcomed by BSPD

Dental Tribune UK

Fri. 3 August 2018

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LONDON, UK: The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has welcomed updated guidance provided by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) on feeding in the first year of life. The guidance is largely consistent with existing advice on infant feeding and concludes that breastfeeding makes an important contribution to the infant’s oral and overall health.

SACN’s report Feeding in the First Year of Life considers the evidence on the impact of infant feeding on short- and longer-term health outcomes for both infants and mothers. It retains the current advice regarding breastfeeding—that mothers should exclusively breastfeed, if possible, for around the first six months of an infant’s life, and that solid foods should only be introduced at that point. Breastfeeding up to 12 months, according to the report, can deliver oral health benefits to the infant and is associated with a decreased risk of dental caries.

Emeritus Professor Andrew Rugg-Gunn, BSPD’s expert and a former member of the SACN panel, commented: “I welcome this report and the inclusion of the chapter on oral health, rightly emphasising its importance in the general development of infants.”

“Both BSPD and I were delighted to have been given the opportunity to provide input, ensuring that this document is representative and that all concerned with children’s oral health can speak with one voice,” he continued.

“This report quite rightly stresses the value and importance of breastfeeding up to the age of 12 months but highlights there may be a risk of early childhood caries associated with long-term breastfeeding,” commented BSPD President Dr Claire Stevens.

“It’s valuable for all organisations working in the interests of children’s health to be aware that long-term and on-demand breast feeding may be a risk factor for early childhood caries, as highlighted in our own position statement. More research is needed and we look forward to further guidance from SACN on feeding children after the age of one,” she added.

Feeding in the First Year of Life was published online on 17 July 2018 by the Department of Health and Social Care and can be accessed here.

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