Abstract
It has been seven years since developmental insufficiency of oral function (DIOF) was firstlisted under Japanese universal health care coverage. Although we dental healthcare professionalshave started to tackle this issue and support in clinical settings is gradually becoming morecommon, we do not feel that the oral functions of children have improved. As we do not yet havea clear way of measuring and evaluating oral functions, it is difficult to tell whether they are improvingor deteriorating, but this is precisely why it is essential to take a scientific approach inthis field in the future. To this end, this paper first lays out the current evidence on breastfeedingsupport and weaning support which are related to the development of oral function and eatingbehavior in pursuit of better childcare support.
