Non-nutritive sucking behaviors in preschool children: a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
Prolonged duration of non-nutritive sucking behaviors may have consequences in regard to the developing orofacial structures and occlusion. Little is known as to why some children have prolonged sucking habits beyond the first 2 to 3 years of life. This paper reports on non-nutritive sucking patterns among a large cohort of healthy children from birth to 36 months of age and older, and identifies factors predictive of prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits.


METHODS
Over 600 children were followed from birth to at least 36 months of age using mailed questionnaires sent when children reached the ages of 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, and 24 months, and then yearly thereafter. Parents answered questions concerning non-nutritive sucking behaviors including use of pacifier and digit sucking. The study categorized children who maintained habits to 36 months of age or older as having prolonged habits, and using multivariate analyses, compared them to children without prolonged habits on various sociodemographic variables.


RESULTS
The study found that for over 20% of the children, a non-nutritive sucking habit was prolonged to 36 months of age or older. Factors associated with prolonged sucking habits included older maternal age, higher maternal education level, and having no older siblings.


CONCLUSIONS
Identifying factors related to prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits may be important in developing and targeting recommendations regarding such behaviors in an effort to prevent malocclusions that result from prolonged sucking habits.
Warren
J J
JJ
Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, Iowa City, USA.
Levy
S M
SM
Nowak
A J
AJ
Tang
S
S
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008423:Maternal Age; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010331:Paternal Age; D015995:Prevalence; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires