Acidity and content of fluoride in canned children’s food as factors influencing caries-resistance of children’s teeth

SummaryIntroduction. The alimentary factor is recognized as one of the leading factors in the etiopathogenesis of dental caries. The organization of nutrition in young children, including the introduction of complementary foods, its composition, the content of fluorides in it and acidity, can affect the formation of hard tissues of the child’s teeth, their mineralization, and, consequently, the susceptibility to caries and the maintenance of a cariogenic situation in the oral cavity. Purpose: develop general recommendations to reduce the possible cariogenic effects of canned foods for young children based on the determination of acidity and fluoride content. Materials and methods: through interviewing 398 parents of children between the ages of three and 10 years during a routine medical examination, the algorithm of use as well as the most popular brands and types of ready-made canned foods for infants as complementary foods in St. Petersburg were identified. A chemical analysis of samples of popular canned baby food products was carried out, their acidity (pH) and fluoride content were determined. Results. It was found that the acidity indicators of canned baby food samples are in the critical range for triggering the demineralization of temporary teeth enamel, which, combined with their low fluoride content, indicates the cariogenic potential of this type of food. In addition, parents do not always follow the recommended algorithm for the introduction and withdrawal of complementary foods. Conclusions. To reduce the possible cariogenic effect of canned baby food, further work is needed with parents on the prevention of caries in milk teeth, including recommendations regarding oral hygiene, monitoring of fluoride intake, and rational, balanced nutrition of children.