OSAKA, Japan: Researchers have found that a high intake of dairy products during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of dental caries in children. For the first time, they examined the primary teeth of more than 300 children in relation to their mothers’ nutrition habits during pregnancy.

Since primary-tooth formation and mineralisation starts in the 13^th week of gestation, the researchers at Fukuoka University, the University of Tokyo and the Osaka City University’s Graduate School of Medicine hypothesised that maternal nutrition influences tooth development significantly. They found that maternal calcium intake during pregnancy tended to be inversely associated with the risk of dental caries in children. Among others, they suggested that calcium in dairy products renders tooth enamel more acid resistant.

They also found that high maternal intake levels of yoghurt and calcium were associated with older maternal age, higher maternal income and relatively high maternal educational levels. Maternal mean daily total energy consumption was 7,564.7 kJ, and intake of total dairy products and calcium was 179.4 g and 556.1 mg, respectively.

It was observed that 23.5 per cent of the children had developed dental caries between 41 and 50 months of age. The mean number of decayed or filled primary teeth was 0.87.

The reduced caries risk associated with maternal intake of cheese could not be explained by the favourable properties of calcium. The researchers thus suggested that high maternal intake of cheese may reflect a healthier lifestyle of the mother in general, which is later also observed in the children. “It is possible that both prenatal and postnatal cheese intake may be protective against childhood dental caries,” they said.

Data was obtained from the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study, a cohort study on maternal and child health problems. From November 2001 to March 2003, 1,002 pregnant Japanese females in their fifth to 39^th week of pregnancy completed several surveys on their dietary habits. For the current study, 315 children whose mothers provided complete information on the relevant variables underwent oral examination.

The study was published online on 17 May in the Nutrition Journal.