BREASTFEEDING AND PUBLIC HEALTH: THE BASIC HEALTH UNIT AS A SETTING FOR PRIMARY PREVENTION OF MALOCCLUSIONS AND CHRONIC DISEASES

Abstract

Breastfeeding is a public health practice with a multidimensional impact on child health and development. The objective of this study was to analyze and synthesize the scientific evidence on the role of breastfeeding as an integrated primary strategy for the prevention of malocclusions and non-communicable chronic diseases, under an interdisciplinary, nutritional, functional, and interprofessional perspective within the Basic Health Unit (BHU). This is an integrative literature review guided by the PICo strategy and systematically conducted in the PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, LILACS, and BVS databases, using the PRISMA protocol and the Rayyan application for study selection. The results showed that natural breastfeeding provides indispensable neuromuscular stimuli for harmonious stomatognathic growth, acting as a preventive barrier against non-nutritive sucking habits (mainly pacifiers) and malocclusions (anterior open bite and posterior crossbite). Early neonatal diagnosis of ankyloglossia and the monitoring of respiratory disorders and sleep bruxism in childhood proved crucial to mitigate early weaning. From a nutritional perspective, human milk acts on metabolic programming, exerting a protective effect against overweight, obesity, and diabetes, in addition to reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia in the first year of life. It is concluded that the BHU and the Primary Health Care teams constitute the ideal strategic territory for the consolidation of integrated lines of care between dentists, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals. Therefore, it is imperative to overcome barriers in professional training, strengthen protective laws such as NBCAL, and qualify the use of surveillance systems such as SISVAN.