This document discusses various types of sucking habits in infants and young children, including nutritive sucking from breastfeeding and bottle feeding, as well as non-nutritive sucking like pacifier and digit sucking. It notes that prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits can lead to malocclusions like posterior crossbites as well as speech impediments if not addressed. The document emphasizes that breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months and weaning from pacifiers and digit sucking by age 5 can help prevent negative oral health outcomes.

1. By: Carissa Miller

2. Types of Sucking Habits
 Nutritive Sucking
 Breast-feeding
 Bottle-feeding
 Non-nutritive Sucking
 Pacifier sucking
 Digit sucking

3. Breast-Feeding
“Mother’s milk is highly nutritious food that
diminishes infant mortality, helps to
prevent diseases, promotes
immunologic and antiallergic protection
and reduces obesity and gastrointestinal
problems.” (Kobayashi et al. 2010)

4. Breast-Feeding
 Positive effects are often difficult to identify
because pacifiers are often used in
addition to breast-feeding
 Many studies show that breast-feeding is
an important factor in preventing pacifier
sucking in children (Melink et al. 2010)
 Correlation coefficient: -0.316
 P= 0.012
 Breast-feeding provides greater oral
muscle exercise over bottle-feeding
(Kobayashi et al. 2010)

5. Bottle-Feeding
 Children breastfed for at least 6 months
then switched to bottle feeding had poor
oral and facial development (Melink et al.
2010)
 NEVER fill bottles with sugary juices or
soda
 Inappropriate bottle feeding can result in
baby bottle tooth decay
 Avoid decay by taking a child to see the
dentist before 1st birthday or around the
time the first tooth erupts

6. Early Childhood Tooth
Decay
 Any caries experienced in the primary
dentition of children younger than 6
years of age
 Spreads rapidly and causes great pain
and infection when not treated

7. Breast vs. Bottle Feeding
 It is confirmed that children who were
breastfed an average of 11 months or
longer did not participate in non-nutritive
sucking but children who were breastfed an
average of 5 months used pacifier and
digit-sucking as an alternative (Melink et al.
2010)
 Long-term consequences of ECTD can
carry into a child’s teenage years and
cause permanent teeth to grow in crooked,
crowded, or in places they do not belong

8. Pacifier Sucking
 Used as an artificial form of nipple to
calm, soothe, quiet, or eliminate pain for
a child
 Nipples are made of silicone or latex
 Prevent sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS) (Miller 2009)
 Benefit premature babies

9. Pacifier Sucking continued..
 Children 18-35 months
are 3.6 times more likely
to develop crossbites and
children who used
pacifiers for more than 36
months were 21.9 times
more susceptible
 Higher prevalence for
posterior crossbites with
use beyond 2-3 years old
(Melink et al. 2010)

10. Digit Sucking
 Includes sucking the thumb or any other
finger, common in children under 5
 Inside womb almost all babies engage
 After birth, sucking reflex is used to obtain
nutrients
 Digit sucking can be induced by
separation, unfamiliar places or people,
and when a child is tired
 Most children stop on their own between 2
and 4 years old

11. Digit Sucking continued..
 Finger pushing on palate during digit sucking
made the palate deeper (Kato et al. 2009)
 Figure shows decrease in sucking in children
between ages 1 & 8
 Significant decrease
in pacifier use
between 1 & 5 and in
digit sucking between
1 &4
Age in Months
PercentofChildrenSucking

12. Malocclusion
 A problem in which the
upper (maxillary) and
lower (mandibular) teeth
meet improperly during
biting or chewing
 Literally means “bad
bite,” irregular bite,
crossbite, overbite,
overjet, open bite,
temporomandibular joint
dysfunction or class two
canine and molar
relationships
 Seen as crooked
crowded or protruding
teeth effecting and
individual’s appearance
or ability to speak or eat

13. Posterior Crossbite
 Type of malocclusion, develops early and
rarely corrects itself
 Most prevalent effect of non-nutritive sucking
on the deciduous dentition
 Occurrence was significant in correlation with
longer duration of pacifier use (Melink et al.
2010)
 As breast-feeding duration increased,
prevalence decreased (Kobayashi et al. 2010)
 Correlations with age reveled posterior
crossbites more prevalent in older children

14. Speech Impediments
 Prolonged and excessive pacifier use prevents
a child from talking
 Malocclusion can limit interaction with other
children
 Group of pre-school and school-aged children
with speech disorders more likely to have used
thumb, pacifier, or bottle sucking longer than
24 months (Nelson 2012)
 Inadequate lip tone and unfavorable tongue
positions during speech are present in children
with pacifier use longer than 3 years

15. Preventative Orthodontic Care
“ Oral health is important to an individual’s
well-being and overall health” (Vargas et
al. 2009)
 Early diagnosis can limit the spread of
disease, caries, or misalignment of teeth
 Child should be weaned off non-nutritive
sucking habits by age 5
 Braces or other esthetics

16. Conclusions
 Evidence shows that non-nutritive sucking
can have negative effects on the deciduous
dentition if sucking is prolonged
 The prime time for malocclusion and other
defects is when teeth first begin to erupt
 Learn to recognize the signs of
malocclusion and teach about preventative
care
 Early effective treatment such as weaning
and proper oral care (Peres et al. 2015)

17. Works Cited
 Kato M, Watanabe K, Kato E, Hotta H, Daito M. 2009. Three dimensional
measurement of the palate using the semiconductor laser: On the influences of the
palate of maxillary protrusion with finger sucking. Pediatric Dental Journal.
19(1):25-29.
 Kobayashi HM, Scavone Jr. H, Ferreira RI, Garib DG. 2010. Relationship between
breastfeeding duration and prevalence of posterior crossbite in the deciduous
dentition. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
137(1):54-58.
 Melink S, Vagner MV, Hocevar-Boltezar I, Ovsenik M. 2010. Posterior crossbite in
the deciduous dentition period, its relation with sucking habits, irregular orofacial
functions, and otolaryngological findings. American Journal of Orthodontics and
Dentofacial Orthopedics. 138(1):32-40.
 Miller C. 2009. The positive and negative effects of pacifiers on children’s teeth. 1-
6.
 Nelson AM. 2012. A comprehensive review of evidence and current
recommendations related to pacifier usage. Journal of Pediatric Nursing.
27(6):690-699.
 Peres KG, Peres AM, Thomson WM, Broadbent J, Hallal PC, Menezes AB. 2015.
Deciduous-dentition malocclusion predicts orthodontic treatment needs later:
Findings from a population-based birth cohort study. American Journal of
Orthodontics Dentofacial Orthopedic 147:492-498.
 Vargas CM, Arevalo O. 2009. How Dental Care Can Preserve and Improve Oral
Health. Dental Clinics of North America. 53(3):399-420.

18. Questions
 Can pacifier use hinder breast-feeding?
 What are some long term consequences
a child could have if abnormalities occur
within the deciduous dentition?