Occlusal changes and their relationship with no-nutritive suction habits

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Non-nutritive sucking habits consist of external factors that can lead to the development of anterior open bite and posterior cross bite. Objectives: To verify the correlation between non-nutritive sucking habits and the development of occlusal alterations, in preschool age, in deciduous and mixed dentition. Methodology: Information inherent to the suction habits has been collected through a questionnaire given to the legal guardians of the children. A questionnaire was also provided to the early childhood educators of the children included in the study. Subsequently, an oral scan was performed to analyze the presence or absence of occlusal alterations. Results: The prevalence of habits was 62.1% for pacifier sucking (p <0.001) and 7.1% for finger sucking (p <0.001). Weak but statistically significant correlation between the two habits (0.169 for finger sucking - p = 0.025-, and 0.147 for pacifier sucking - p = 0.038) and anterior open bite. OR = 0.699 for anterior open bite explained by the interaction given by the time of exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusions: The most prevalent habit identified was pacifier sucking, being associated with breastfeeding, its duration and bottle feeding. This habit is associated with the development of anterior open bite. A longer period of exclusive breastfeeding appears to be a protective factor against the development of anterior open bite, even if a history of pacifier sucking is present.

Keywords: Malocclusion, Habits, Dentition