ECC Stop Nighttime Bottle — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyDental Public Health & EpidemiologyECC Stop Nighttime BottleORE Part 1

An 18-month-old child has extensive early childhood caries affecting the upper primary incisors. The mother reports that the child falls asleep with a bottle of fruit juice every night. What is the SINGLE most important preventive advice?

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Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: E — Replace the bedtime juice bottle with water only

Explanation lettering: D = shown as A · C = shown as B · E = shown as C · B = shown as D · A = shown as E

The correct answer is A. The decisive risk factor is repeated overnight exposure of erupted incisors to fruit juice. SDCEP advises that fruit juice should not be put in feeding bottles and that a bedtime bottle, if used, should contain water only. Removing this exposure is therefore the most important preventive intervention. B is incorrect because a diet drink does not meet the recommendation for a bedtime bottle to contain water only; acidic drinks may also contribute to tooth-surface loss. C is useful adjunctive prevention but does not remove the principal ongoing dietary cause. D may be appropriate to arrest active caries in selected cases, but it is treatment rather than the key behavioural preventive advice. E neither addresses the cause nor represents appropriate preventive management.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), Prevention and Management of Dental Caries in Children, “Dietary advice”, accessed 24 July 2026. https://www.childcaries.sdcep.org.uk/guidance/caries-prevention/dietary-advice/