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Non-nutritive sucking behaviors in preschool children: a longitudinal study
J J Warren1, S M Levy, A J Nowak
1Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, Iowa City, USA.
Insights
Over 20% of children maintained prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits past 36 months. Older maternal age, higher education, and no older siblings were linked to these extended habits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric dentistry
- Child development
- Orofacial health
Background:
- Prolonged non-nutritive sucking can impact orofacial development and occlusion.
- Understanding the reasons behind extended sucking habits beyond early childhood is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate non-nutritive sucking patterns in a large cohort from birth to 36 months and beyond.
- To identify factors predicting prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study followed over 600 children from birth to at least 36 months.
- Mailed questionnaires assessed pacifier and digit sucking habits at various developmental milestones.
- Multivariate analyses compared children with prolonged habits to those without, examining sociodemographic variables.
Main Results:
- Over 20% of children exhibited prolonged non-nutritive sucking habits beyond 36 months.
- Factors associated with prolonged habits included older maternal age, higher maternal education, and absence of older siblings.
Conclusions:
- Identifying predictors of prolonged non-nutritive sucking is vital.
- This knowledge can inform targeted recommendations to prevent malocclusions associated with prolonged sucking behaviors.
Purpose:
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.