Development of oral functions and eating behavior

Development of oral functions and eating behaviorKeyword : breast-feeding, baby-led weaning, finger food It has been seven years since developmental insufficiency of oral function (DIOF) was first listed under Japanese universal health care coverage.Although we dental healthcare professionals have started to tackle this issue and support in clinical settings is gradually becoming more common, we do not feel that the oral functions of children have improved.As we do not yet have a clear way of measuring and evaluating oral functions, it is difficult to tell whether they are improving or deteriorating, but this is precisely why it is essential to take a scientific approach in this field in the future.To this end, this paper first lays out the current evidence on breastfeeding support and weaning support which are related to the development of oral function and eating behavior in pursuit of better childcare support.