Poor oral habits and malocclusions after usage of orthodontic pacifiers: an observational study on 3–5 years old children

Abstract

Background Pacifier sucking habit has been associated in the literature with alterations of dental occlusion, and it could be a predisposing factor for other poor oral habits among children. Orthodontic pacifiers have been introduced in the market aiming to reduce these disadvantages caused by the conventional type of pacifiers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of poor oral habits and malocclusions, after usage of orthodontic pacifiers in children with primary dentition. Methods A sample of 198 pre-school children, aged 3–5 years, (96 males and 102 females) who had exclusively used an orthodontic pacifier were included in order to assess the level of poor oral habits and the absence/presence of dental malocclusion. Firstly, children’s parents/legal guardians were given a validated questionnaire, then the children were clinically examined at a dental clinic. Results Most of the children (79.79%) had started using the orthodontic pacifier within the first 3 months of life, and the 43.49% of them continued using it over a period of 2 years. The recorded percentage for those who had used it throughout sleep was 89.39%. Mouth breathing during the night was reported for 36.04% of the children. Tongue thrust swallow affected 16.16% of the sample. The 5.56% of the data indicated the presence of fingersucking/thumbsucking habit. The noted percentages for children with lip biting, lingual interposition between teeth at rest and those with nail biting, were 5.56, 12.63 and 15.15%, respectively. The regression revealed a significant contribution between early start of using an orthodontic pacifier with the prevalence of fingersucking/thumbsucking (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.47, p = 0.0004). This also reported a noticeable increase of the malocclusion prevalence among the female gender (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.42–5.31), as well as those who were not exclusively breastfed (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.17–4.37). Conclusions Orthodontic pacifiers does not favor the development of poor oral habits, even if it has been used for a period of 2 years in children with primary dentition. Children who begin to use orthodontic pacifier between 0 and 3 months, are less likely to acquire fingersucking/thumbsucking habit. The use of an orthodontic pacifier appears not to be correlated with the prevalence of malocclusion in primary dentition, differently from what stated in literature about the conventional type of pacifier.

Prejuízos E Benefícios Na Saúde Da Criança Decorrente Do Uso De Chupetas: O Que O Pediatra Precisa Saber / Damage and Benefits to the Child's Health Due to the Use of Pacifiers: What Pediatricians Need to Know

“…Diferentemente da amamentação, o uso da chupeta e o ato de sugar o dedo produzem diferentes estímulos funcionais (LING HTB, et al, 2018). Do ponto de vista do desenvolvimento craniofacial, o uso de chupeta convencional por muito tempoacima de 2 anosfoi associada a algumas alterações da má oclusão na arcada dentária (CARUSO S, et al, 2019). Além disso, foram também relatadas alterações na musculatura orofacial, sendo os mais comuns o bruxismo e as dificuldades no selamento labial (CORRÊA CC, et al, 2016).…”

“…O fato interfere no encaixe dental, promovendo uma postura viciosa que, com o tempo, pode causar alterações na estrutura. Esses malefícios não acontecem com o aleitamento materno, pois nesse hábito nutritivo, utiliza-se mais musculatura e facilita o desenvolvimento correto dos músculos orofaciais (CARUSO S, et al, 2019).…”

Short-Term Effects of a Myofunctional Appliance on Atypical Swallowing and Lip Strength: A Prospective Study

“…or pathological causes (hypertrophy of the pharyngeal and/or palatine tonsils, hypertrophy of the turbinate, macroglossia, etc.) [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…It also seems that lip strength deficits could lead to significant impairment of daily function and facial growth, because all the facial muscles of the splanchnocranium act in synchrony, and during chewing all the perioral facial muscles are activated, at the same time as the lip [ 19 ]. Consequently, the treatment of atypical swallowing is necessary not only to eliminate harmful interferences of tongue thrusting, but also to allow the harmonious growth of the stomatognathic system [ 4 , 8 , 17 ] and the whole face, potentially preserving/achieving physiological lip strength.…”

Prevalence of Caries and Associated Risk Factors in a Representative Group of Preschool Children from an Urban Area with High Income in Milan Province, Italy

“…Furthermore, we aimed to analyze the correlation of caries with the potential risk factors related to the studied children's lifestyle and individuate the strategies to improve primary prevention projects. The considered potential risk factors are related to lifestyles, eating habits, and oral hygiene [12]; in addition, we considered the presence and type of malocclusions, non-nutritive sucking habits and mouth breathing attitudes [13][14][15][16].…”