Correlation Between Early Childhood Oral Habits and Developing Malocclusions: A Pediatric-Orthodontic Cohort Analysis.

AIM: To use a cohort-based orthodontic analysis to examine the association between early childhood oral habits (such as mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, dummy use, and thumb sucking) and the occurrence, kind, and severity of developing malocclusions in a pediatric population.

METHODOLOGY: A 2-year cohort study followed 220 children (ages 3-6) with full primary dentition and no orthodontic history. Examinations at baseline, 12, and 24 months assessed malocclusion, while caregiver questionnaires recorded oral habits. Logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, analyzed the impact of habits persisting over 3 years.

RESULTS

Malocclusion prevalence rose from 37.7% to 48.2%. Dummy use past age 3 was linked to posterior crossbite (OR = 3.58), and thumb/finger sucking past age 4 to anterior open bite (OR = 4.21). Tongue thrusting related to anterior open bite and mouth breathing to narrow maxilla and overjet. Duration and frequency predicted severity more than habit type.

CONCLUSION

Prolonged oral habits greatly increase malocclusion risk. Stopping them before age 3 or 4 can prevent dentoalveolar changes and reduce future orthodontic needs.