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Yoghurt reduces cavities for kids, study claims
3rd Jun 2010
Children who regularly eat yoghurt may reduce the risk of developing tooth decay, according to a new study.
Japanese researchers suggest that yogurt can reduce the chances of a three-year-old developing cavities by 22% if eaten four times a week, compared to those who ate it less than once a week.
The findings, published in the Journal of Dentistry, came from a study investigating earlier claims that dairy foods generally could ward off dental decay in children.
Some scientists think that yoghurt works because the proteins it contains 'bind' to the surface of teeth and seals them against attack from harmful acids.
The research was carried out experts at Fukuoka University and the University of Tokyo who were examining the association between intake of dairy products and the prevalence of dental caries in small children.
And their conclusion was that the data 'suggest that a high consumption of yogurt may be associated with a lower prevalence of dental caries in young children'.
Their study reads: ‘The studies show that milk or milk components may have cariostatic properties but the results of epidemiological studies on the association between intake of dairy products and dental caries have been inconsistent.'
The study surveyed 2,058 Japanese children aged three years and information on diet was assessed with a self-administered brief diet history questionnaire for children.
The consumption of dairy products was categorised into 3 levels in order to represent the tertiles as closely as possible. Dental caries was assessed by a visual examination.
Adjustment was made for sex, tooth-brushing frequency, use of fluoride, between-meal snack frequency, maternal smoking during pregnancy, environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home, and paternal and maternal educational levels.
Researchers suggest that: ‘Compared with yogurt consumption at the lowest tertile (< 1 time/week), its intake at the highest level (>/= 4 times/week) was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of dental caries, showing a clear dose-response relationship (adjusted prevalence ratio=0.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-0.98, P for trend=0.04).
‘There were no material associations between intake of cheese, bread and butter, or milk and the prevalence of dental caries.'
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