Introduction During the first two years of life children’s nutrition is mostly based on frequent, liquid and sweetened
meals which can cause Severe-Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) development. The aim of this research was to determine
the relationship between dietary habits and S-ECC in children up to 24 month-old living in Banja Luka, Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Methods Cross-sectional study included representative sample of 192 children. Before dental examination of children,
each parent/caregiver was interviewed about the basic info, socio-demographic characteristics and children`s eating
habits. The questionnaire was conducted as interview (“face to face”). Subjects were divided into two groups: the first
group – children with S-ECC and the second group – caries free children. For statistical analysis and presentation of
results SPSS 16.0 for Windows, MS Office Word and Microsoft Office Excel were used.
Results In the study sample 34.9% of children were suffering from S-ECC. About 50% of children who were breast-fed
at night after first tooth eruption had S-ECC. The use of baby bottle with milk or other sweetened content during
bedtime and during the night was identified as significant caries risk factor (P <0.05).
Conclusion Nighttime breastfeeding, use of bottle with milk during bedtime/nighttime or other sweetened content
during night after eruption of first primary tooth were strongly associated with S-ECC in the examined children.
