title: [Dummy- and finger-sucking habits among 5-year old children. An investigation of frequency and effect on the dentition and occlusion].
abstract: Dummy- and finger-sucking habits were investigated among 60 5 year olds, born in 1982. The children were living in Raufoss, a small rural community in eastern part of Norway. Information about the sucking habits was obtained from their parents by means of questionnaires. The position of the teeth and the occlusion were registered by an orthodontist. Total prevalence of sucking habits was 63%. Thirty-seven percent, had used a dummy and 30% had been or were still finger-suckers. Two children had both used a dummy and sucked their fingers. This is a significant lower total prevalence of sucking habits than recorded in recent Swedish and Danish studies (1-8), but comparable with a Swedish study from 1971 (9). Most dummy-suckers had broken their habits at 3-4 years of age, while the finger-suckers were still active at 5 years of age. Finger-sucking had the largest impact on the position of the front teeth. The finger-suckers had significantly larger overjet and smaller overbite, more proclined upper incisors and retroclined lower incisors than dummy-suckers and those without any sucking habit. The only measurable effect of previous dummy-sucking of 5 years of age was a more open position of the lips and a smaller overbite. Otherwise, no significant effect on the occlusion was observed in any of the dummy- or fingersuckers.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ogaard
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005386:Fingersucking; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000209:etiology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology
vernacular_title: Smokk- og fingersugingsvaner hos 5-åringer. En undersłkelse av forekomst og virkning på tannstilling og okklusjon.