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Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
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Oral sucking habits among children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy

Natália Cristina Ruy Carneiro1, Luisa Ribeiro Monteiro2, Isabela Almeida Pordeus1

  • 1Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Special Care in Dentistry : Official Publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry
|July 6, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Oral sucking habits are common in children with Down syndrome (DS) and cerebral palsy (CP). Throat infections and not breastfeeding significantly increase the risk for these habits in children with DS and CP.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Oral Health

Background:

  • Oral sucking habits are prevalent in children with developmental disabilities.
  • Understanding associated factors is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify factors linked to oral sucking habits in children with Down syndrome (DS) and cerebral palsy (CP).

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 181 children with DS or CP in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Mothers completed questionnaires on child characteristics and medical history.
  • Data analysis focused on correlations between habits and background factors.

Main Results:

  • Oral sucking habits were present in 83.0% of the children studied.
  • A history of throat infection in the prior 6 months increased the likelihood of oral sucking habits.
  • Lack of breastfeeding was strongly associated with the presence of oral sucking habits.

Conclusions:

  • Throat infections and not breastfeeding are significant risk factors for oral sucking habits in children with DS and CP.
  • These findings highlight the importance of addressing breastfeeding and infection history in managing oral habits.
Abstract

Keywords:
Down syndromecerebral palsydisabled childrenhabitssucking behavior

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