Oral habits--part 2: beyond nutritive and non-nutritive sucking

In addition to sucking habits, a range of other habits have been associated with short- and long-term dental and orthodontic problems. These habits include tongue thrusting and atypical swallowing, lip sucking, oral self-mutilation, mouth breathing, and bruxism. Although the association between form and function continues to be controversial, if habits are of sufficient duration they may lead to dental malocclusion and impede successful management. Oral self-injury and bruxism can lead to significant problems, such as soft tissue trauma and infection. Accurate history taking and examination are essential steps in formulating a diagnosis and management plan. Although a range of treatment options are often available, clear guidelines for treatment are difficult to develop due to a lack of high quality clinical trials. Optimal management is likely to be dictated by patient and severity variability. The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the management of tongue thrust and atypical swallowing, lip sucking, oral self-mutilation, mouth breathing and bruxism.