Prevalence of malocclusion in early childhood and its associated factors in a primary care service in Brazil

Abstract

Purpose to evaluate the prevalence of malocclusion and its associated factors of children cared for by a PHC Service in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Methods a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort, carried out in 12 Health Care Practices. Of the 414 children in the cohort examined, 268 were assessed for malocclusion. The presence of anterior open bite, posterior and anterior crossbite was evaluated by the criteria of Foster and Hamilton. Socioeconomic variables, breastfeeding habits and pacifier use information were collected through a standardized questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using a hierarchical approach by Poisson Regression with robust variance. Results out of the total 268 evaluated, 135 (50.4%) were boys, and the average age was 28.6 (± 11.9) months. Out of the 143 (53.4%) cases of malocclusion, 113 were anterior open bite, 16 were anterior crossbite, 27 were posterior crossbite, and 38 had increased overjet. In the final analysis, it was observed that there was a higher prevalence of malocclusion in children who never breastfed (PR = 1.44; 95%CI 1.00-2.08) and who always used a pacifier to sleep (PR = 1.81; 95%CI 1.14-2.86). Conclusion the prevalence of malocclusion in this population was high and was associated with behavioral habits, such as the use of pacifier and not breastfeeding.

Insights into Pediatric Sleep Disordered Breathing: Exploring Risk Factors, Surgical Interventions, and Physical and Scholastic Performance at Follow-Up

“…However, in our study, no significant differences were found in the percentage of children with malocclusion between those with and without persistent SDB. Malocclusion was associated with specific behavioral habits, such as lack of pacifier use and breastfeeding [42]. In our study, children without SDB more frequently had a history of pacifier use in infancy.…”

Co-Sleeping as a Protector against Malocclusion in the Primary Dentition: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Other studies that analyzed non-nutritive sucking habits taking into account the breastfeeding variable also concluded that the durations of pacifier and digit habits were each positively related to the prevalence of certain malocclusions, agreeing that prolonged breastfeeding decreases the risk factors for the appearance of malocclusion [33]. It has also been shown in previous studies that there is a higher prevalence of malocclusion in children who were never breastfed and who always used a pacifier to sleep [10]; however, the results of the present study indicate that children who breastfeed less than 6 months but co-sleep are at a lower risk of malocclusion (WHO and IOTN-AC). This is a consequence of minimizing the use of non-nutritive sucking habits.…”

“…In short, it can have a negative impact on the quality of life of the individual [8]. In addition, recent studies show that it affects 1 out of every 2 children/adolescents [9]; malocclusion in early childhood is higher, affecting 53.4% of this population [10].…”

Principales repercusiones del uso de chupón en cavidad oral

“…Se encontró que el uso prolongado de chupetes es muy importante para el desarrollo de maloclusiones, principalmente mordida abierta anterior y mordida cruzada posterior. 9 Sin embargo, no solo depende de los hábitos, sino también del patrón de crecimiento genético, ya que no todos los individuos con los mismos hábitos presentarán problemas oclusales en el futuro. 10…”