The behavior of milk consumption based on the socioeconomic status of parents in the incidence of early childhood caries

Background: Dental caries in early childhood (ECC) is the presence of one or more damaged, missing or filled teeth. In Indonesia, the reported prevalence of ECC in children aged 5 years in Indonesia is 90.2%. The cause of high ECC is inappropriate milk giving to children, either bottled milk or breast milk, due to lack of knowledge of parents, especially mothers and involvement of socio-economic status. 

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between breastfeeding habits based on the socio-economic status of parents with the incidence of Early Childhood Dental Caries. 

Method: The method used is a literature review with a narrative review procedure. 

Result: There are still many parents who do not understand about proper breastfeeding, this is influenced by socio-economic factors so that the prevalence of early childhood caries is still high. 

Conclusion: Early Childhood Caries is caused by the habit of breastfeeding or formula milk, the level of knowledge of the parents, as well as the socioeconomic status of the family.