Sucking Thumb, Pacifier Can Lead To Poor Bite
December 21, 2004

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH -- Children who suck their thumbs or use pacifiers may be more likely to have problems with the way their teeth come together.

Italian researchers examined 1,130 children when they were 3 to 5 years old. They collected detailed information on how the children were fed as infants (breastfeeding or bottle feeding), and on "non-nutritive" sucking habits, such as thumb sucking or using a pacifier.

Of the children who had sucking habits, 89 percent had an open bite, in which the upper and lower teeth do not touch when the jaw is closed.

Another condition, called posterior crossbite, occurs when the top back teeth bite inside the bottom back teeth. Of children who were fed with bottles as infants and also had sucking habits, 13 percent had posterior crossbite. Of those who breastfed and had sucking habits, 5 percent had the condition.

The researchers conclude that sucking habits are a main risk factor for altered bite. They also note that breastfeeding appears to protect against posterior crossbite.

Other studies also have shown that sucking habits can lead to changes in bite. The American Dental Association suggests helping children to break sucking habits before their permanent teeth start coming in.

The study appears in the December issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.