‘GUIDELINES ON HEALTHY EATING PRACTICES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Inadequate food choices can impact a child's life, compromising their metabolism, thus interfering with their growth, development, learning and school performance. The objective of the present work is to carry out a Narrative Literature Review, in order to address the main guidelines on healthy eating practices during early childhood. Data from scientific publications from the Databases: Virtual Health Library and PubMed/Medline were used, using the descriptors “healthy eating practices”, “pediatric dentistry”, “dental caries” and “cariogenic diet” with the Boolean operator "OR ". The food offered in the first months/years of the child's life is of paramount importance, it is always intended to include the formation of healthy habits from the first moment, so that healthy living conditions remain throughout the individual's life. Eating habits are influenced by several factors, these include genetics, socioeconomic, culture, race, religion, among others. The lack of healthy eating practices during early childhood can lead to dental caries, dental malformation, hypofunction of the salivary glands and a decrease in the child's quality of life. Given the data presented, it can be concluded that health professionals, including the dentist, should advise parents and/or guardians of children about the importance of healthy eating habits during early childhood, in addition to oral hygiene.