Background:

The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding up to six months are well known, but the biological arguments that support the relationship between breastfeeding and craniofacial (CCF) still need to be deepened.

Objective:

To identify the concepts and attributes that allow clarifying the benefits of ML for craniofacial growth based on the concept analysis methodology of Walker y Avant.

Method:

The search strategy was carried out in databases, scientific articles between 1980-2022, English, Portuguese, and Spanish language, that related the concept of breastfeeding up to 2 years of age. The terms used were "breastfeeding", "exclusive breastfeeding", "artificial breastfeeding", "concept analysis". Additionally, the terms "exclusive breastfeeding" and "craniofacial growth" were searched. Review studies, systematic reviews, prospective observational studies and cross-sectional studies were included.

Results:

Four attributes were identified to confirm the exclusive LM concept for CCF: physiological adaptation of sucking, nutritive sucking, oral motor function and effective sucking. Definitions, background, consequences, empirical references are described. Model case and opposite cases.

Conclusion:

The methodology used served to construct the analysis of the exclusive breastfeeding concept for CCF and provide theoretical arguments for clinical practice and breastfeeding counseling related to the benefits of the sucking function for oral motor development and craniofacial growth.

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