CAN THE DURATION OF BREASTFEEDING AFFECT ORAL HEALTH IN ADULTHOOD?

Abstract

Background Breastfeeding is well-known to have numerous health benefits for both mother and child. An exceptional chance to investigate the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and self-perceived oral health in a sizable, representative sample of UK adults is provided by the British Cohort Study (BCS70). Objectives This study aims to explore the relationship between breastfeeding duration and self-reported oral health at age 46 while accounting for various sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. The primary objective is to determine if breastfeeding duration has a significant impact on oral health outcomes in adulthood. Method This secondary analysis utilized data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), which follows the lives of over 17,000 individuals born in the UK during a single week in April 1970. The study focuses on participants with complete data on breastfeeding duration, self-perceived oral health, and relevant covariates. Breastfeeding duration was categorized into three groups: never breastfed, breastfed for less than 1 month, and breastfed for 3 months or more. Self-rated oral health at age 46 was dichotomized into "good" (excellent, very good, good) and "poor" (fair, poor). Covariates included sex, demographic data, education level, and parental social class. Logistic regression models were employed to assess the association between breastfeeding duration and oral health outcomes.

Results The analysis revealed no significant association between breastfeeding duration and self-reported oral health in adulthood. Despite the well-documented benefits of breastfeeding, the duration of breastfeeding did not appear to influence the self-perceived oral health of the participants at age 46. Other factors such as sex, social class, mother's education, father's social class, country of residence, and marital status.