[Deformities due to finger sucking]

Finger sucking can result in deformities of the fingers as well as the deformities well-known in orthodontics. Besides skin changes resulting from chronic irritation, more serious deformities in position or function of the fingers appear to occur. In these cases it is mostly the index finger that is affected. Upon ceasure of the habit the skin changes prove to be reversible; the deformities in position and function of the fingers however do not always display spontaneous improvement. A review of relevant literature and an account of two patients with characteristic case histories is given.