Squeezable Baby Food Pouches May Hurt Young Teeth

Monday, February 4th, 2013

The popular squeezable baby food snacks that allow babies and toddlers to suck pureed food directly form foil pouches may actually be harmful to growing teeth, according to a statement from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).  The new statements about the pouches, which were launched in 2008 by Plum Organics and now are made by a number of baby food brands, makes similar recommendations to what the AAPD already says about babies who walk around with milk- or juice-filled sippy cups.  More from NPR.org:

“The constant exposure of sugar on their teeth is detrimental,” says Paul Casamassimo, the oral health research and policy center director at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. “My concern would be if the child walks around with this little pouch, then they might be doing the same thing,” he says.

In fact, the academy recommends ditching the sippy cup and going straight from bottle to cup between 12 and 15 months because of the potential risk of tooth decay. Casamassimo calls them “baby bottle methadone.”

Carbohydrates in all foods are used by bacteria to produce acid, and the acid eats away at the enamel of the teeth, creating the potential for cavities — a growing problem among all children, he says.

And the pouch food, because of its consistency, may be particularly tough on teeth if it’s allowed to sit there for long periods. “We know that tends to stick on teeth and prolong the opportunity for the bacteria to build,” he says.

Brushing kids’ teeth twice a day and making them rinse with water after eating the pouch foods or drinking juice can help, Cassamassimo says.

Image: Smiling toddler, via Shutterstock

Dentists: Bottled Water May Increase Rate of Tooth Decay

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

A number of recent studies by dental groups and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make the case that a rise in the consumption of bottled water by American children is a major factor in the simultaneous boost in tooth decay because the bottled water does not contain fluoride.

MSNBC.com reports:

“You should brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, see the dentist twice a year for fluoride treatment and get fluoride in your drinking water,” said Jonathan D. Shenkin, spokesman on pediatric dentistry for the American Dental Association. “If you’re not getting it in your drinking water, that takes out a component of the effectiveness of that triad.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too, warns that “bottled water may not have a sufficient amount of fluoride, which is important for preventing tooth decay and promoting oral health.”

No question, many kids do drink bottled water. One recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics found that about 45 percent of parents give their kids only or primarily bottled water, while another in the journal Pediatric Dentistry found that nearly 70 percent of parents gave bottled water either alone or with tap water.

More than 65 percent of parents using bottled water did not know what levels of fluoride it contained, that study showed.

Image: Bottle of water, via Shutterstock.