Severity of nursing-bottle syndrome and feeding patterns in Kuwait.

On the basis of extensive clinical experience, a classification scheme for nursing-bottle syndrome (NBS) has been empirically constructed to reflect the progression and severity of the disease. Patients who do not have NBS are assigned a score of zero. Patients with NBS are given a score of 1 if they have caries on the facial or lingual surface of at least one of the primary maxillary incisors and optionally the primary maxillary first molars, a 2 if the buccal surface of one or both of the primary mandibular first molars are also involved, or a 3 if specific multiple surfaces are involved. The feeding pattern classification is as follows: 0 = non abusive, 1 = mildly, 2 = moderately, and 3 = severely abusive. The scoring depends upon the number of feeding times/day, the frequency with which the bottle or breast feeding is given during the might, and the duration of the feeding pattern (in months). Eighty-six cases were reviewed for classification. A chi-square test of a two-way contingency table showed a strong and significant relationship between disease severity and degree of feeding abuse. The findings support the validity of the classification schemes, illustrate the general pattern of NBS progression, and indicate that disease severity is a function of specific combinations of factors.