Craniofacial growth and development:
How breast feeding can help
By DANA KING
What happens when abnormal forces change the proper functioning in the body in a growing child? If a child loses an eyeball, the bone that holds the eyeball, the orbit, will not develop properly unless a prosthetic replacement is fitted. The bone that holds the teeth is also dependent on the presence of teeth. Without teeth, the bone does not grow.

Muscle function is critical in proper growth. A child who sucks a thumb or finger can distort the development of the jaws (Figure 1). A decrease or absence of nasal breathing can cause abnormal growth of the face and jaws (Figure 2).
Bones are actually dependent on the muscles and soft tissues for proper growth.

A bone taken from the body can be grown in a dish. Initially it will reveal intrinsic geneticgrowth influences, but without the surrounding functioning tissue, it becomes amorphous.

The mouth of a breast-fed baby functions differently than that of a bottle-fed baby (Figure 3). A breast-fed infant exercises the oral musculature substantially more than a bottle-fed infant. The bottle can produce an excessive flow of milk which encourages the infant to acquire an abnormal posturing of the mandible to avoid suffocation. Studies have shown an increase in dental crowding in bottle-fed infants as opposed to breast-fed infants.

The posturing of the mandible has been shown to influence other areas of development. Pierre Robin, M.D., a physician. developed an intraoral appliance that helps normalize the positioning of the lower jaw, which influences the development of the jaws (Figure 5 & 6). Children who were treated with this appliance showed multiple health benefits.

Robin described a glossoptosis syndrome (1934) which included a backward position of the tongue toward the spine closing the nasopharyngeal airway space. The child who suffers from this condition is forced to breath and eat with an open mouth. The child appears tired with the head bent forward, mouth open, a deficient growth of the mandible and shoulders hanging (Figure 7).
Dramatic improvement was seen with Robin's intraoral appliance, which simply positioned the lower jaw forward allowing the airway to open.

Robin also advocated breast feeding in an upright position, which allows for proper forward positioning and growth of the mandible (Figure 4).

Breast feeding has been shown to decrease the incidence of allergies in infants. Fewer allergies can be associated with fewer congestive breathing problems and therefore fewer adenoid problems. The negative pressure produced by the infant's mouth while breast feeding helps to open and drain the nasopharynx. Children with allergic adenoid hypertrophy have been shown to have a greater incidence of maxillary and mandibular positioning problems.Studies on children after adenoidectomy show significantly greater maxillary and mandibular growth than in matched controls.

At birth, the cranium is approximately 60 percent of the adult size. During the first and second year of life, there is rapid growth. At age five, most of the cranial growth has taken place.
Along with the many varied opinions on growth and attributed to development, the literature reveals various opinions concerning the degree to which cranial growth influences the total growth and development (Figure8). Various authors have described cranial\ movements which, when development is distorted, can influence the health of the individual.

Problems such as vomiting, nervous tension, irregular sleep patterns, irregular vital signs, headaches, endocrine disorders, visual perception and motor disturbances, sinusitis, allergies, temporomandibular joint problems, and dental malocclusions have been distortions in the cranial development.

Infant feeding practices can affect the health of the child for a
lifetime. The evidence continues to mount in favor of breast feeding
(Figure 9).
Dana Hodge King. D.D.S., has been in private practice in San Antonio since 1983. She earned a fellowship from the American Society of Dentistry for Children in Chicago, Ill.in 1992, and, for two years, served as craniofacial clinical coordinator at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where she is still a clinical faculty member.