Was the Tooth Fairy breast fed? The politics of infant tooth decay

Abstract

In the mid 1970s American paediatric dentists started publishing claims that breast feeding an infant on demand and/or during the night was as dangerous to the infant's dental health, in terms of the production of caries, as the previously established dangers of Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. It was argued by some dentists that this danger increased if the infant was breast fed for an extended period of time. Such claims have gained support from many dentists, and their professional bodies, into the twenty-first century. This thesis examines the historical, social, commercial and cultural influences that supported the development of such assertions. It analyses the ways in which expert reinforcement was gained, and scrutinises the scientific controversy as publicly fought in professional journals and other outlets. The thesis also examines the growing status of the dental profession, especially in connection with its claim to specialised scientific and medical knowledge in the production of dental caries. Further, consideration is given to the medicalisation of breast feeding and the associated commercial infant feeding dispute. The thesis attempts to redress the current lack of theoretical analysis of the construction of dental knowledge. To date there has been minimal academic contribution to the history of dentistry; however, the absence of extensive analysis has been advantageous in enabling an original approach to the material.