Pacifiers, also known as soothers, dummies and artificial teats are as rooted in history as they are in controversy. Pacifiers made of clay, silver, pearl or coral, and sugar teats have been described, some dating back to over thousands of years [1][2]. Pacifier use is still widespread in today’s culture, and a recent Canadian trial reports up to 84% of infants use one at least some of the time...

The purpose of this study is to examine various maxillary and mandibular dental arch parameters in 122 infants over an 18-month period. The subjects were grouped according to their feeding and sucking method as follows: 1. breast fed, 2. breast fed and functional exerciser, 3. functional nipple and exerciser, 4. conventional nipple, 5. conventional nipple and pacifier, and 6. residual group. Th...

OBJECTIVES The distinct effect of exclusive and predominant breastfeeding on primary dentition malocclusions is still unclear. We hypothesized that exclusive breastfeeding presents a higher protective effect against malocclusions than predominant breastfeeding and that the use of a pacifier modifies the association between breastfeeding and primary dentition malocclusions. METHODS An oral hea...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of malocclusion and to examine the effects of breastfeeding and non-nutritive sucking habits on dentition in six-year-old children. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out nested into a birth cohort conducted in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, in 1999. A sample of 359 children was dentally examined and their mothers interviewed. Anterior open bite and po...

OBJECTIVES To determine rates of exclusive breastfeeding and of complementary feeding and to identify variables that interfere with breastfeeding in the municipality of Itaúna, MG, Brazil. METHODS A longitudinal study was undertaken enrolling 246 women who gave birth at the maternity unit of the Manoel Gonçalves Hospital, in Itaúna, MG. The mothers and their infants were seen monthly for the ...

AIMS To test the hypothesis that exposure to ambient language in the womb alters phonetic perception shortly after birth. This two-country study aimed to see whether neonates demonstrated prenatal learning by how they responded to vowels in a category from their native language and another non-native language, regardless of how much postnatal experience the infants had. METHOD A counterbalanc...

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 3 months of life and its determinant factors in a city in the South region of Brazil. METHODS Prospective study of a cohort of babies born between September 2002 and May 2003 in the city of Pelotas, RS. Data were obtained in interviews, at maternity units and during home visits, with mothers of babies aged betwe...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of the first postpartum visit, family income, pacifier habit, number of siblings and birth weight on the maintenance of exclusive breastfeeding in infants aged one week up to six months. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, data were collected through a survey, which included social and demographic characteristics of the families and the breastfeeding ...