SynthesisPloS one2015
Breast and Bottle Feeding as Risk Factors for Dental Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 173 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prolonged and night-time bottle-feeding in relation to early childhood caries: a systematic review.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Risk of Early Childhood Dental Caries Associated With Prolonged Breastfeeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of paediatric dentistry · 2025Pooled it
- Iranian early childhood dental caries: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and associated risk factors.Evidence-based dentistry · 2025Pooled it
- Association of Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of sleep on development of early childhood caries: a systematic review.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2023Pooled it
- Individual, Family, and Socioeconomic Contributors to Dental Caries in Children from Low- and Middle-Income Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Determinants of dental caries in children in the Middle East and North Africa region: a systematic review based on literature published from 2000 to 2019.BMC oral health · 2021Pooled it
- Oral Microbiota in Infants Fed a Formula Supplemented with Bovine Milk Fat Globule Membranes - A Randomized Controlled Trial.PloS one · 2017Trial
- Before the Gut: Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Oral Microbial Colonization in Infancy.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Heavy metal exposure and dental caries in children and adolescents: a NHANES-based analysis integrating machine learning approaches.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- A Study of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding, Attachment Style and Oral Health in Pubertal Children: A Network Analysis.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Comparative evaluation of human breast milk, cow milk, infant formula and almond milk on childhood cariogenicity: AnBioinformation · 2026Article
- Comparative Analysis of Breastfeeding and Infant Formulas: Short- and Long-Term Impacts on Infant Nutrition and Health.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Development and validation of a novel public prediction platform for deciduous caries in preschool children: an observational study from Northwest China.BMC pediatrics · 2025Observational
- The Impact of Oral Health and Dental Care on Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Women of Reproductive Age.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- A Narrative Review on Advancing Pediatric Oral Health: Comprehensive Strategies for the Prevention and Management of Dental Challenges in Children.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Bottle-feeding practice and its associated factors among mothers of children aged 0 to 23 months in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-level analysis of demographic and health surveys (2015-2022).BMC public health · 2024Article
- The prevalence of dental caries and its associated factors among preschool children in Huizhou, China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oral health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Understanding the role that breastfeeding and bottle feeding play in the development of dental caries during childhood is essential in helping dentists and parents and care providers prevent the disease, and also for the development of effective public health policies. However, the issue is not yet fully understood. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to search for scientific evidence in response to the question: Do bottle fed children have more dental caries in primary dentition than breastfed children? Seven electronic databases and grey literature were used in the search. The protocol number of the study is PROSPERO CRD 42014006534. Two independent reviewers selected the studies, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias by quality assessment. A random effect model was used for meta-analysis, and the summary effect measure were calculated by odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI. Seven studies were included: five cross-sectional, one case-control and one cohort study. A meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies showed that breastfed children were less affected by dental caries than bottle fed children (OR: 0.43; 95%CI: 0.23-0.80). Four studies showed that bottle fed children had more dental caries (p<0.05), while three studies found no such association (p>0.05). The scientific evidence therefore indicated that breastfeeding can protect against dental caries in early childhood. The benefits of breastfeeding until age two is recommended by WHO/UNICEF guidelines. Further prospective observational cohort studies are needed to strengthen the evidence.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.