Breastfeeding <12 months vs Breastfeeding for ≥12 months: Early childhood caries (ECC)
- Population
- Preschool children (<6 years)
- Intervention
- Breastfeeding <12 months
- Comparison
- Breastfeeding for ≥12 months
- Outcome
- Early childhood caries (ECC)
Breastfeeding for <12 vs ≥12 months was associated with significantly fewer caries (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.50-0.86), indicating breastfeeding beyond 12 months increases ECC risk (substantial heterogeneity; ungraded).
What each review found
Current versions only| Finding | Effect | Studies | GRADE certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
Breastfeeding for <12 months vs Breastfeeding for ≥12 months Dental caries (early childhood caries) · Preschool children (<6 years) · Preschool children in high- and middle-income countries; caries assessed in clinical or field/community settings, Cohort studies Breastfeeding for <12 vs ≥12 months was associated with significantly fewer caries (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.50-0.86), indicating breastfeeding beyond 12 months increases ECC risk (substantial heterogeneity; ungraded). Association of Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2024) All outcomes | RR 0.65 [0.50, 0.86] | 8 studies · 4365 participants | GRADE not reported |
Breastfeeding <12 months vs Breastfeeding ≥12 months Dental caries (ECC) · Preschool children under 6 years of age · First dental examination before age 6 years, Clinical, field, or unclear dental examination settings, Cohort studies; sensitivity analysis excluding studies 35, 42, and 48 After excluding three studies, breastfeeding for less than 12 months was associated with lower dental caries risk (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.80; I²=0%). Association of Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2024) All outcomes | RR 0.70 [0.62, 0.80] | 5 studies | GRADE not reported |
Findings are shown side by side, never pooled across reviews.
The reviews
| Review | Searched up to | Included studies | AMSTAR 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association of Breastfeeding and Early Childhood Caries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2024 All outcomes | 13 May 2023 (databases searched from inception) | 61 | Not applicable |
How reviews are matched to this question
Reviews word the same question differently. Four decision models (TypeSafe's Jev, Liquid AI's d1-ultra, SubQ Snap and Baseten's Elephant) judged each wording of the population, intervention, comparator and outcome against the others; two wordings count as the same when at least three of them agree and none clearly disagrees, and findings count as this question only when all four elements match. Timing, setting and subgroup never split a question: they are shown on each finding.