Breastfeeding for oral health in preschool children

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: PRIMARY: To compare the rates of dental caries in children who were bottle fed as infants to children who were breastfed up to six months, between 6 and 12 months, or longer. SECONDARY: To compare the rates of dental caries in children who were: demand breastfed, non‐demand breastfed. To compare the rates of dental caries in children who were: breastfed via direct nursing, breastfed via a bottle, bottle fed with infant formula. To compare the rates of dental caries in children who were: exclusively breastfed, partially breastfed, exclusively bottle fed with infant formula. To compare the rates of dental caries in children who were: breastfed during day and night time, breastfed during the day only. This review examines the hypotheses that breastfed children would have lower rates of dental caries than bottle fed infants.