No Impact of Lower Intake of Micronutrients on Severe Early Childhood Caries: Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study

Objective: To investigate the association between micronutrients intake at 12 months of age and the occurrence of severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) at four years of age among children in southern Brazil. Material and Methods: The baseline sample was made up of 500 mother-child pairs followed since the birth of the child in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. After the first birthday, micronutrients intake (calcium, iron, sodium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and folate) was recorded using the 24-hour recall method. At four years of age, a calibrated examiner evaluated the occurrence of S-ECC based on internationally accepted criteria. Poisson regression was used to investigate associations between exposures and the outcome. Results: The final sample comprised 314 children. The occurrence of S-ECC was higher among children who consumed less calcium (p=0.009), zinc (p=0.021) and vitamin C (p=0.036). However, after the multivariable adjustments, no micronutrient was associated with the occurrence of S-ECC. Conclusion: A lower intake of micronutrients at 12 months of age did not represent a risk factor for the occurrence of S-ECC at four years of age, suggesting that advice on feeding practices for dental caries prevention should focus mainly on dietary aspects (local effect) rather than nutritional aspects (systemic effect).