A Study on Digit Sucking Among Children Presented to a Tertiary Care Paediatric Clinic in Sri Lanka

Background Sucking habits are common among children, especially in early childhood. There is, however, controversy about its prevalence probably due to under-reporting. The objective of this study is to analyze the demographic factors, reasons for clinic attendance, and treatment options chosen by parents and health care providers to control digit sucking. Material and methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted including 82 children presented to the paediatric clinic, Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa, with digit sucking over a period of three years from November 2017 to October 2020. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Eighty-two children were enrolled in this study. The majority (n=29, 35.4%) of them presented between seven months to two years, and very few (n=3, 3.6%) presented after five years. Female children outnumbered males (50: 32). Only 24 (29.3%) mothers had been working and away from home during the daytime whilst the rest were housewives and were available to their children most of the time of the day. About 70 (85.4%) children had been given exclusive breastfeeding while the rest had either formula alone or formula with breastfeeding during the first six months of their age. Around 62 (75.6%) children had used their right hand for sucking. Sixty-six children (80.5%) had been using the thumb. Most children (n=56, 68.3%) were sucking since birth. The most common reason (n=68, 82.9%) for clinic attendance was that parents were scared about the future occurrence of mal-alignment or malocclusion of teeth. Thirty-one parents (37.8%) did nothing to stop digit sucking while 25 (30.5%) applied bitter oil and the majority tried pacifier without success. All children were referred to the dental surgeon for further management of digit sucking and amongst them, 78 children (95.1%) attended the appointment. All 78 children had been reassured that the habit eventually disappears before permanent teeth will appear and explained that digit fixing therapy would be offered for persisting habitual digit sucking. Four children did not visit the dental department.  Conclusions The majority of children presented to the clinic were below three years and females outnumbered males in all age groups. A greater number of children had been using their right hand and thumb. Most of them had the habit of sucking since birth and most of the parents anticipated mal-alignment of teeth due to consequences of sucking. None of them succeeded in stopping the habit of digital sucking with various remedies performed at home by their parents.