Feeding Habits and Oral Hygiene Practices of Infants in Hong Kong

Objectives: The study aimed to explore the feeding habits and oral hygiene practices of one-year-old infants in Hong Kong.

Methods: Infants aged one-year-old with high caries risk and their primary caregivers were recruited for an ongoing randomized controlled trial. A parental self-completed structured questionnaire was conducted at baseline to collect information about the parents’ sociodemographic background, feeding habits and oral hygiene practices for their infants.

Results: A total of 579 infants aged 12-16 months old (Boy: 306; Girl: 273) were recruited. Each of their caregivers completed the parental questionnaire at baseline. Over half of the parents (53.7%) have not received any oral health education previously. Regarding the infant feeding habits, the majority (73.6%) of the infants had six or fewer meals per day. About three-quarter (71.3%) of the infants had a habit of taking sweet snacks. More than half (60%) of the parents would let their infant fall asleep with a nursing bottle containing milk or sugary drink; however, two-thirds of them would not clean the infant’s mouth or teeth after drinking. Majority of the parents (90.8%) had performed cleaning for their infant’s mouth and teeth with a toothbrush (65.0%) and gauze (40.9%). Only 10.3% of them would use toothpaste.

Conclusions: The feeding habits and oral hygiene practices of one-year-old infants in Hong Kong are not satisfactory. Oral health education is needed for caregivers of infants to promote proper oral health habits among infants.