Association between breastfeeding and periodontitis in US women: a cross-sectional study
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Despite growing evidence of breastfeeding’s benefits for maternal and child health, its impact on periodontal health remains understudied. This study examined the association between breastfeeding and periodontitis among parous U.S. women aged 30 and older. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using NHANES 2009–2012 data. The sample included women aged ≥30 who had given birth. Periodontal status (present/absent) was the outcome variable. The main exposure was self-reported breastfeeding for at least one month (“yes” or “no”). Women with missing periodontal data were excluded. Logistic regression accounting for NHANES complex sampling design was used to assess the association, adjusting for confounders.
RESULTS: Among the 2,683 participants, 572 women (49%) who did not breastfeed were found to have periodontal disease upon examination, compared to 692 women (32%) who had reported a history of breastfeeding for at least one month and had periodontal disease. After adjusting for confounding variables, a significant inverse association between breastfeeding and periodontitis was observed, with an OR of 0.7 (95% CI: 0.5–0.9, p = 0.005).
CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding for at least one month was associated with a 30% lower prevalence of periodontitis. These findings suggest that promoting breastfeeding may contribute to reducing periodontal disease burden and support the integration of maternal oral health education into public health strategies.
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2025