Malocclusions in children at 3 and 7 years of age: a longitudinal study

Abstract

The aim of this longitudinal study was to compare the prevalence of malocclusion at ages 3 and 7 years in a sample of children, exploring the hypothesis that prevalence of malocclusion is higher at 3 than at 7 years of age and may be influenced by sucking habits. The study sample comprised 386 children (199 girls and 187 boys), aged 3 years at study start, sourced from three Public Dental Service clinics in Sweden. Malocclusion was diagnosed by clinical examination, using a specific protocol. Data on allergy, traumatic injuries, sucking habits, and breathing pattern including nocturnal breathing disturbances were obtained by means of a questionnaire answered by child and parent in conjunction with the initial and final clinical examination. The overall prevalence of malocclusion decreased significantly, from 70 to 58% (P< 0.0001): predominantly anterior open bite, excessive overjet, and Class III malocclusion. Although high rates of spontaneous correction were also noted for deep bite, Class II malocclusion and posterior and anterior crossbites, new cases developed at almost the same rate; thus, the prevalence was unchanged at the end of the observation period. Anterior open bite and posterior crossbite were the only conditions showing significant associations with sucking habits. The results confirm the hypothesis of higher prevalence of malocclusion at 3 years of age and clearly support the strategy of deferring orthodontic correction of malocclusion until the mixed dentition stage.

Thumb-Sucking, Nail-Biting, and Atopic Sensitization, Asthma, and Hay Fever

“…27 There is some evidence that these habits are associated with dental malocclusion 28 -30 and gingival injury, 31 and that they can also cause local hand infections. 32 -34 Spontaneous correction of some oral malocclusions can occur if thumbsucking habits are stopped before dental development progresses, 35,36 but there is limited research on the long-term effects of these habits on oral health. Our findings suggest that these habits also may have some beneficial effects: although we did not find an impact of these habits on asthma or hay fever, the reduction in atopic sensitization may have long-term health benefits.…”

Effects of fixed labial orthodontic appliances on speech sound production

“…Moreover, /s/ and /t/ findings were the most frequent sound error across languages as well. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] In a study by Leavy et al, 16 lingual protrusion was found to be the most common visual inaccuracy among patients with malocclusions. As Subtelny and coworkers 17 noted, the articulatory error of /s/can be a result of excessive fronting of the tongue.…”

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Such studies have described a transient effect, with acquired errors resolved within 2 to 3 months. [2][3][4]14 The phonemes acknowledged to present lingering difficulties with articulation are /s/, /f/, /v/, /t/, /r/, /n/, and /l/ phonemes.…”

The Prevalence of Malocclusion and Oral Habits among 5–7-Year-Old Children

“…Studies assessing the deciduous and mixed dentition stages, when interceptive treatment and developing occlusion guidance measures are typically prescribed, are much less common. Nevertheless, some studies reported that as early as 3 years of age prevalence of malocclusion is as high as 70–82.5% [3,6,7]. Among pre-school children, the most common conditions are anterior open bite (AOB), excessive overjet (OJ), Class II malocclusions, and posterior crossbite (CB) [3,6,8,9].…”