Table 1.

Mean deft score in the study population in relation to feeding and oral hygiene practices

Items		N	Mean	p value
Was the child breastfed or bottle-fed?	Breastfed Bottle-fed Both	241 100 79	4.69 1.78 2.85	0.011*
Whether the child slept with the bottle in the mouth?	Yes No	176 199	4.56 1.90	0.015*
Was sugar/sweetener added to the bottled milk?	Yes No	207 218	4.23 1.64	0.029*
Was the sweet intake in diet frequent? (More than 2–3 times/day)	Yes No	73 111	5.85 2.71	<0.001**
How often did your child have fruits?	Never Once a day Twice a day More than twice a day	50 218 47 12	4.53 2.15 5.00 4.56	0.020*
Were the infant's teeth cleaned as soon as the teeth erupted in the oral cavity?	Yes No	293 309	2.47 4.59	<0.001**
What was the frequency of tooth brushing?	Never Once a day Twice a day More than twice a day	0 340 35 20	– 2.86 5.90 1.67	0.009*

*p < 0.05–Significant, **p < 0.001–Highly significant