Yogurt May Help To Prevent Kids' Cavities

INTELIHEALTH -- Yogurt may reduce the risk of cavities in young children, a Japanese study has found.

Researchers at Fukuoka University did the study. It included 2,058 children, all of them 3 years old. Their parents filled out a short questionnaire about the children's eating habits.

Children who ate yogurt at least four times a week had less tooth decay than those who ate yogurt less than once a week. Children who ate yogurt most often had 23% less tooth decay.

The researchers also looked at how much cheese, milk and bread with butter the children ate. Studies in the laboratory have shown that milk and other dairy products can help to prevent tooth decay. Dairy products have high levels of calcium and phosphorus that help to strengthen teeth. But in this study milk and cheese were not found to protect against cavities.

Before comparing children based on how much yogurt they ate, the researchers looked at several factors that can affect tooth decay. These included:

Fluoride use
How often the children's teeth were brushed
Their parents' education levels
How often the kids ate between-meal snacks
Whether they were exposed to secondhand smoke
Even if they were similar in these other ways, children who ate yogurt at least four times per week had less tooth decay.

The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Dentistry.