[Effect of the early intervention of oral habits on the development of dental occlusion].
BACKGROUND
Sucking habits are related to malocclusion.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of a counseling interview about inhibiting this oral habit and, its influence on dental occlusion and labial-lingual posture.


METHODS
40 children (mean age = three years), with a sucking habit and anterior open bite, received counseling aiming for the interruption of this habit. Measurements of the open bite were made, as well as a myofunctional evaluation, prior to counseling and, three and six months after it.


RESULTS
26 children stopped with the habit of sucking, with 25 children presenting a reduction of the open bite. No change was observed in labial-lingual posture.


CONCLUSIONS
The counseling interview favored the interruption of the oral habit and the correction of the open bite.
Bertoldi
Patrícia Mendonça
PM
Especialista em Motricidade Oral pelo Curso de Fonoaudiologia da Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). adv.bertoldi@netsite.com.br
Felfício
Cláudia Maria de
CM
Matsumoto
Mírian Aiko Nakane
MA
D001903:Bottle Feeding; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024343:Open Bite / Q000517:prevention & control*; D041361:Pacifiers; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013391:Sucking Behavior; D014061:Tongue Habits