IADR Abstract Archives
Prevalence Of Non-Nutritive Suction Habits And Occlusal Alterations In Children
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of non-nutritive sucking habits (NNSH), anterior open bite, excess overjet and posterior cross-bite in children of 3 to 6 years of age in the city of Valdivia, Chile.
Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of the prevalence of NNSH and associated occlusal alterations in 345 preschoolers in deciduous dentition stage from the commune of Valdivia, Chile. The diagnosis of malocclusions was carried out by trained examiners between the months of August and October 2017 in educational institutions premises. The data on non-nutritive sucking habits was obtained via a questionnaire directed to the minor’s parents. Once the information was obtained, a Google Forms survey was used to input data on a database. It was then analyzed using the R statistical software version 3.4.1. Averages and standard deviation were calculated as dispersion measurements.
Results: A 55.1% prevalence of active or previous NNSH was found, being pacifier usage the most prevalent (39.4%). A 22.3% of the sample held active habits at the moment of the evaluation. The most frequent age of ceasing was at 2 years old, signaling a decrease of these habits as age increased. The most prevalent malocclusion was increased overjet (37.7%), followed by posterior cross-bite (7.8%) and anterior open bite (6.1%). A progressive increment in increased overjet and anterior open bite, in relation to history or active presence of sucking habits was observed.
Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of NNSH among children in the city of Valdivia. The malocclusions studied were observed more frequently in those children with active or previous history of NNSH.
Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of the prevalence of NNSH and associated occlusal alterations in 345 preschoolers in deciduous dentition stage from the commune of Valdivia, Chile. The diagnosis of malocclusions was carried out by trained examiners between the months of August and October 2017 in educational institutions premises. The data on non-nutritive sucking habits was obtained via a questionnaire directed to the minor’s parents. Once the information was obtained, a Google Forms survey was used to input data on a database. It was then analyzed using the R statistical software version 3.4.1. Averages and standard deviation were calculated as dispersion measurements.
Results: A 55.1% prevalence of active or previous NNSH was found, being pacifier usage the most prevalent (39.4%). A 22.3% of the sample held active habits at the moment of the evaluation. The most frequent age of ceasing was at 2 years old, signaling a decrease of these habits as age increased. The most prevalent malocclusion was increased overjet (37.7%), followed by posterior cross-bite (7.8%) and anterior open bite (6.1%). A progressive increment in increased overjet and anterior open bite, in relation to history or active presence of sucking habits was observed.
Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of NNSH among children in the city of Valdivia. The malocclusions studied were observed more frequently in those children with active or previous history of NNSH.