Effects of the Use of Conventional and Orthodontic Pacifiers in Dental Occlusion of Children From 24 to 36 Months of Age

Objectives: To investigate the effects of the sucking habit of the conventional and orthodontic pacifiers on dental occlusion in children of age 24-36 months old, considering the duration, frequency and intensity of habit.
Methods: Two hundred and twenty children were selected from a cohort (BRISA) and divided into groups: (G1) control, with 110 children who never had non-nutritive sucking habits; (G2) with 110 children exposed to pacifier sucking, subdivided into conventional pacifiers (GConv) and orthodontic pacifiers(GOrt), both with 55 children group. Patients answered questionnaires about sucking habits between 12-24 months and again at 24-36 months of age when clinical exams of the dental occlusion were made. The groups were compared for the anterior open bite (AOB), increased overjet (IncOvj) and posterior crossbite (PCB).
Results: Pacifier use was associated with occurrence of AOB (P <0.001) and IncOvj (P <0.001). The PCB occurred only in G2. No statistically significant differences between GConv and Gort were found in relation to the prevalence of AOB (P = 0.11), SSA (P = 0.12) and PCB (P = 0.13). The average values​​, in millimeters, of the AOB (P = 0.001) and IncOvj (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in GConv that in Gort. The duration of the habit, too, was higher (P = 0.03) in GConv and correlated positively with the AOB (R = 0.782, P <0.001) and with the IncOvj (R = 0.318, P <0.001).
Conclusions: Children who use pacifiers (orthodontic or conventional) have a high prevalence of malocclusion (98.2%). However, the conventional pacifier and the longest duration of habit are associated with greater severity of malocclusions.