Comparación de la condición bucal de niños lactantes de fórmula y lactantes maternos de 1 a 3 años que acuden en el Materno del Hospital Distrital Inmaculada Concepción en la Ciudad de Caaguazú, en los meses de febrero y marzo de 2024

Abstract

Breastfeeding has historically been recommended by the WHO as the ideal feeding for infants during the first six months of life, although its use is sometimes being replaced by milk formulas and other artificial milks, raising questions about its impact on infant oral health. In the context of the Hospital Distrital Inmaculada Concepción in Caaguazú, a comparative study was carried in the months of February to March of the year 2024, to evaluate the oral condition of formula-fed versus breastfed children aged 1 to 3 years. The main objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of caries, the development of harmful habits, occlusal abnormalities, consumption of sweet foods and level of oral hygiene between the two groups. Using a quantitative approach with descriptive and correlational design, a representative sample was selected by simple random sampling, including 25 formula-fed and 25 breastfed children. The results showed a similar prevalence of caries between both groups (41.18% in formula vs. 40.00% in breast- feeding), with a lower incidence of harmful habits (20% vs. 58.82%) and occlusion anomalies (25% vs. 58.82%) in breastfed children. Sweet food consumption was comparable and oral hygiene was mostly good in both groups, with a slight advantage for formula-fed children (76.47% vs. 70%). These findings suggest that breastfeeding may be associated with improved infant oral health outcomes, highlighting the importance of promoting and supporting this practice for long-term benefits in children's oral and general health. It is recommended to consider these results in public health policies and to design interventions to improve oral hygiene in formula-fed infants, in addition to future research to evaluate the longitudinal impact of infant feeding on oral health.