Associations among Finger-Sucking Habit and Prevalence Rates of Dental Caries and Malocclusion

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  • 吸指癖とう蝕罹患および不正咬合発現との関連
  • キュウシヘキトウ ショクリカン オヨビ フセイコウゴウハツゲン ト ノ カンレン

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Abstract

 There have been several reports that children who suck their fingers show a low caries prevalence rate. It is unknown whether this association remains at the present time, when the caries prevalence rate is decreasing. It is important to accumulate sufficient evidence to give oral health guidance to children. The purpose of this study was to review the associations among a finger-sucking habit and prevalence rates of dental caries and malocclusion. The subjects were children who received 3-year-old dental examinations in Hamamatsu from the 2007 to 2013 fiscal year. The presence of a finger-sucking habit was confirmed by a questionnaire. The prevalence rates of dental caries and malocclusion were obtained by dental examination. The prevalence rates of dental caries and malocclusion were analyzed by the finger-sucking habit using the χ2-test. The caries prevalence rate decreased from 19.0% in 2007 to 11.8% in 2013. The prevalence rates of a finger-sucking habit and malocclusion did not differ each year. Children with a finger-sucking habit showed a lower caries prevalence rate every year compared to those without such a habit, with a difference ranging from 1.6 to 4.4%. Children who had a finger-sucking habit showed a higher malocclusion (open bite and others) rate every year compared to those without the habit, and the difference ranged from 9.4 to 16.8%. In this study, it was reaffirmed that a finger-sucking habit helped to prevent of dental caries and the development of malocclusion. However, at the presently low rate of caries prevalence, the finger-sucking habit of 3-year-old children would affect the development of malocclusion relatively more than the prevention of dental caries.

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