Early Weight Gain Forecasts Accelerated Eruption of Deciduous Teeth and Later Overweight Status during the First Year

Objectives: To determine whether early diet and weight gain velocity have independent or interactive effects on deciduous teeth emergence and overweight status during the first year.

Study design: Monthly measures of anthropometry and teeth eruption were collected during 1-year trial (0.5-12.5 months) on formula-fed (FF) infants in which the type of randomized infant formula (cow milk or extensively hydrolyzed protein) diet significantly affected early (0.5-4.5 months) weight gain velocity. Generalized linear mixed models determined whether early diet and weight gain velocity had independent or interactive effects on timing and pattern of teeth eruption. Data from a trial on breastfed (BF) infants were used to explore effects of breast milk versus infant formula diets on teeth eruption and overweight status at 10.5 months.

Results: Independent of infant formula diet, velocities of weight gain had direct effects on the age of first deciduous tooth (P < .04) and number of erupted teeth over time (P<0.002). Greater velocity of weight gain from 0.5 to 4.5 months caused earlier and more frequent eruption of deciduous teeth from 4.5 to 12.5 months. Exploratory follow-up analyses on the BF and FF diet groups found early weight gain velocity (P=0.001), but not diet or its interaction, had significant effects. Infants in the upper quartile for weight gain velocity had more primary teeth (P=0.002), and a greater proportion of them were overweight (P<0.001) at 10.5 months.

Conclusions: Faster weight gain accretion forecasted accelerated primary teeth eruption and increased percentage of children who were overweight-risk factors for dental caries and obesity.

Keywords: breast milk; deciduous teeth; developmental milestones; diet; infant formula; overweight status; weight gain velocity.