A changing trend in eruption age and pattern of first deciduous tooth: correlation to feeding pattern.

BACKGROUND Feeding mode during infancy and its effect on deciduous tooth appearance in oral cavity in two generations and among genders. AIM AND OBJECTIVE Study aimed to compare and correlate times and patterns of deciduous tooth eruption in breastfeeding (OBF), partial breastfeeding (PBF) and spoon feeding (SF) infants and initiation of semisolid food feeding (SSF) in infants. It also aimed to address the variations in the time of eruption of first deciduous tooth and its pattern in two generations who had more than a decade of difference in ages. MATERIALS AND METHODS An open-ended questionnaire study was conducted on mothers of 265 patients from two groups, generation 1 (G1)- adults who were aged 20-35 years and second group, generation 2 (G2) - children who were below 5 years of age . RESULTS A statistical significance was observed with respect to age, gender, generations, and frequency of breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding and time of initiation of semisolid food. CONCLUSION There is a delayed eruption of teeth in present generation. For girls, it occurs at age of 7.88 months and for boys, it occurs at the age of 8.08 months.