RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between eruption of deciduous teeth and eating habits determined by health examinations of infants. METHODS: We verified eruption of deciduous teeth based on observations of 455 fourteen-month-old infants at health examinations in a ward of Tokyo, and performed a questionnaire survey involving their mothers regarding the hardness of infants' meals and their eating habits. We examined 420 infants excluding 17 whose births were 'pre-term delivery (born at or before 36 weeks)' and 18 whose questionnaire had excessive omissions. RESULTS: The percentage of infants who began a weaning diet at 5 to 6 months of age was 81.4%, and 71.2% of mothers considered their infant's age in months before starting a weaning diet. We divided the children into three stages: those not showing full eruption of the eight front deciduous teeth (stage I, 27.4%); those with full eruptions of the eight front deciduous teeth excluding the first primary molars (stage II, 61.9%); those with full eruptions of the first primary molars (stage III, 10.7%). Most mothers cooked meals considering the hardness of the gingival gums (stage I; 53.5%, stage II; 54.4%, stage III; 40.0%). The percentage of mothers who cooked meals considering the hardness of the primary molars was 14.0 and 15.1% in stages I and II, respectively. In addition, the percentage who cooked meals while considering the hardness in relation to adult meals was 7.0, 9.7, and 24.4% in stages I, II, and III, respectively. Moreover, the percentage considering the salt-taste in relation to adult meals was 13.2, 17.3, and 22.2% in stages I, II, and III, respectively. CONCLUSION: In the present study, we obtained valuable data showing that the timing deciduous teeth eruption varies among individuals. These results suggested that nutritional education on the appropriate quality of meals for infants based on their state of deciduous teeth eruption is necessary.