More yogurt = fewer caries in young kids

Jun 3, 2010

Want to help your younger patients improve both their oral and systemic health? Try recommending they eat more yogurt.

In a cross-sectional study to be published next month in the Journal of Dentistry (July 2010, Vol. 38:7, pp. 579-583), researchers from two universities in Japan examined the association between intake of dairy products and the prevalence of dental caries in young children.

"In vitro studies show that milk or milk components may have cariostatic properties," they wrote. "However, the results of epidemiological studies on the association between intake of dairy products and dental caries have been inconsistent."

Using a brief, self-administered diet history questionnaire, the researchers assessed the diet of 2,058 Japanese 3-year-olds. Dental caries was assessed by visual examination. Adjustment was made for gender, toothbrushing frequency, use of fluoride, between-meal snack frequency, maternal smoking during pregnancy, environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home, and paternal and maternal educational levels.

Children who consumed yogurt four or more times a week had a significantly lower prevalence of dental caries than those who consumed it less than once a week (adjusted prevalence ratio = 0.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.62 to 0.98, p = 0.04), the researchers reported. They found no material associations between intake of cheese, bread and butter, or milk and the prevalence of dental caries.

Based upon these results, "a high consumption of yogurt may be associated with a lower prevalence of dental caries in young children," the researchers concluded.