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Abstract
Premature infants have a shorter prenatal development period and are prone to many serious medical problems during neonatal period. This may impact the development of oral tissues, as manifested by enamel hypoplasia, palatal distortion, malocclusion, or delay in tooth eruption and maturation. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a standardized and protocol-based care system for premature infants, based on skin-to-skin contact between the infant and their mother. Kangaroo mother care has been demonstrated to greatly improve the nurturing of premature infants and comparatively reduce the risk factors of oral defects. We hypothesize that KMC also facilitates oral growth and development in premature infants.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work is supported by grant 200903106 from the Bureau of Science and Technology of Shenzhen. We would like to thank Dr. W.A. Coetzee, Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Physiology and Neurosciences, New York University School of Medicine, for reviewing the manuscript.