Oral habits among pre-elementary children in Bitola

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral habits (nail biting, finger sucking) among the pre-elementary children in Bitola.

In the observational average, (cross-sectional) study were covered 890 children 3 and 5 years old, who came to regular medical checkups during the period from January to December 2009, in the Health Centre in Bitola. During the research the following methods were applied: psychological testing (Chuturik Test), clinical paediatric examination, interview with the parents and applying the Questionnaire on Children's Behaviour, Child Behaviour Checklist-Achenbach, 1981, in Hill R., and Castrol E. (2002): Getting rid of Ritalin, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.

The research included 890 children, of whom 401 were three yeas old and 489 five years old, and 51.6% male and 48.4% female. The prevalence of oral habits among the subjects was 35.39%. Statistical analyses showed that these habits can be found (p<0.05) among 3-year-old children, but the tested difference concerning the gender was statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Children who live in a rural environment, who do not have their own room and do not use a computer, statistically significantly manifested oral habits more often (p<0.05). Tested differences in the frequency of oral habits according to the number of family members were statistically insignificant (p>0.05). Children whose parents have primary education and whose mothers are working and have minimal incomes manifested a significantly more frequent presence of oral habits for the level of p<0.01 and p<0.05.

These oral habits have a prevalence of 35.39% among the pre-elementary children in Bitola and should be viewed as a major public health problem. Because of their influence on the development of the orofacial system, the responsibility primarily of paediatrist and children's dentists is great for their prevention, early diagnosis and treatment in collaboration with other specialists, the child and parents.