Articles
Big Bad Cavities: Breastfeeding Is Not the Cause By Lisa Reagan
"More than three dozen studies showed that my son's early cavities (also called caries) were not caused by nursing - breastmilk is not cariogenic - but by an infectious disease classified only recently as Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Moreover, according to the [US] National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, breastfed children are less likely to develop this disease than their bottle-fed counterparts, and population-based studies do not support a link between prolonged breastfeeding and ECC"(SOURCE).
Is Breastfeeding Linked to Tooth Decay? By Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC
"It's often said that breastfeeding (particularly while lying down at night) will cause tooth decay, just like letting a baby sleep with a bottle of milk can cause 'baby bottle mouth'. Essentially, a valid link has not been made between nursing (nighttime or otherwise) and cavities. ... Up until recently, the only studies that had been done were on the effects of lactose (milk sugar, which breastmilk does contain) on teeth, not the effects of complete breastmilk with all its components. Breastmilk also contains lactoferrin, a component in breastmilk that actually kills strep mutans (the bacteria that causes tooth decay)"(SOURCE).
Breastfeeding & Dental Health articles